Make A Wish Sends Lauren to Disney World! * IT IS FINISHED...* *Updated 1/28/09*

[llurgy]

Right-y-oh, I am up to date now and I am eagerly awaiting the rest of this trip report.

Lauren not well?? No Fair!! Tell those beasty-things to go away out of this TR right now!! Princesses who stay on the Tower are not allowed to have thoses Germs in their bodies.
Princesses who stay in the tower??? Hmmmm......Not really Disney but I guess Lauren was Rapunzel for 6 nights huh???

Rebecca has not officially made her wish yet, we are awaiting the volunteer visit dates. I will have to be very careful not to talk about GKTW too much before they come because she is so looking forward to staying there and hopefully meeting new friends that I can just see her saying that her wish is to stay at the Village!!! Her wish until 2 weeks ago was to go to WDW but it is slowly losing the wish race to the village.....LOL

Ragerly awaiting the next installment

Mandy

 

[maroo]

Ok, I am on post 75 and I have to stop because I have to get up early in the AM and it is already 12.30pm.

The Rainbow......WOW!!!! I mean, how many people can actually say they have had a rainbow made for them, a real rainbow!?!?! That is just awesome

I love the fact that you write your report with such excitement and enjoyment, it just makes me want to keep on reading and reading. You are so happy with your words, Lauren looks SO HAPPY in the photos to WDW and in GKTW village (I peeked Whoops )

I cant wait till tomorrow when I can read the rest of what you have written to date.

Now I really have to go to sleep

Mandy

Right-y-oh, I am up to date now and I am eagerly awaiting the rest of this trip report.

Lauren not well?? No Fair!! Tell those beasty-things to go away out of this TR right now!! Princesses who stay on the Tower are not allowed to have thoses Germs in their bodies.
Princesses who stay in the tower??? Hmmmm......Not really Disney but I guess Lauren was Rapunzel for 6 nights huh???

Rebecca has not officially made her wish yet, we are awaiting the volunteer visit dates. I will have to be very careful not to talk about GKTW too much before they come because she is so looking forward to staying there and hopefully meeting new friends that I can just see her saying that her wish is to stay at the Village!!! Her wish until 2 weeks ago was to go to WDW but it is slowly losing the wish race to the village.....LOL

Ragerly awaiting the next installment

Mandy

Good morning!! Did you sleep AT ALL? I mean it is early here...!!

I caught up on your Pretrippie last night. It is just wonderful that DISboards helped you guys get to the point where you can make a wish!

Bless her heart...even if she tells the folks that she wants to stay at GKTW...they will still grant the full Disney Wish...GKTW automatically gives kids the tickets to WDW, Sea World and Universal! And MAW does not really "like" to house kids off site, because it costs them extra money. So they should grant her wish to stay at GKTW and not move you guys if they are "overbooked"...It worked out for the best for Lauren to be offsite, but we did miss some things. Lauren still got to know a Wish child that she met at Hollywood Studios!

One thing to think about...What time of the year would you guys like to go to DW? They Christmas is just beautiful...and if you don't mind the crowds, that could be a good time of year to go because it is not hot. The crowds should not really affect this trip much, if they don't bother you in general, because she won't really have to wait in many lines.

Or October is a good time because the crowds are so low. Jan is also good...for crowds. I loved Oct because we got to go to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, which was SOOO much fun!

Anyway...I could talk forever about this. I have subscribed to your report and can't wait to see how the meeting goes with your wish granters!! Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

 

[maroo]

Lauren is beautiful young lady for starters. I am really enjoying your TR so far and cant wait to hear all the cool things she got to do. Did you take hotel pics. I would love to see what your rooms looked like

Thank you so much for tuning in. Yeah...I think my "newbieness" (created a new word there!) has creeped in on this topic...I don't think I got ANY hotel shots. I still have one more memory card to download...and it may be on there...because I intended to!! But I was a busy bee most of the time and did not always get to take pics of things that I should have!! And our hotel room may be one of them...but I will try to find a thread that has pics to link to this report...Sorry!!!!!

 

[maroo]

Hello! I am really enjoying your Trip report! We leave in just over 3 weeks for our son Mark's Wish Trip! He and his twin brother turn 10 on Thursday and they are looking forward to this trip SO much...so are their parents!

Please tell Lauren that she is absolutely beautiful and we are loving the pictures! OK, I hav stopped showing the boys any more because I don't want them to learn any more! (The Dino-putt pix were hidden by me because they had surprises!) I am trying to keep our expectations at a reasonable level because we read so many amazing stories...surely not every Wish child has such a fantabulous experience, even though they deserve it?!?

Anyway, our son Mark also has CP, and seems to be a younger male version of Lauren - bright, able to manage in a regular class, outgoing etc. Lauren is a great role model!

Please pass along to Lauren that Camp Rock was filmed - mostly - on location at Mark's summer overnight camp, here in Ontario, Canada! Mark's camp for boys w/physical disabilities runs as an integrated cabin within a tradtional boys' camp, Kilcoo. He spooted it within 15 seconds of watching a trailer I showed him after I learned this in the spring. The camp got to keep a bunch of the lights etc from the stage etc set, so Talent Night was pretty cool this year!!!

Can't wait for more!
Alison

Hello Alison! I am actually subscribed to Mark's report...so I have been keeping up with you guys...but I am not sure I posted to it? Yikes, a lurker!!!

Oh yeah...keep those kids away from the TR!!!!! lol...

I am so glad that Mark got a wish. We did not think that Lauren would qualify, with CP, but she did!! She doesn't walk at all, or transfer, and she can't really pick anything up with her muscle tone...but she does write well, has no problems with speech, and is so smart and just delightful!

The Camp Kilcoo thing is TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!! She likes Camp Rock...likes Camp in general...and will be excited to know that they have disabled kids at that camp. When I see her tonight, I will get her to post something on here if she is not totally busy with schoolwork (it has been a LOT lately!)

As far as Laurens Wish and the thing they did for her...a lot of that came out of the Wish Flight stuff...the rainbow was done as a part of WishFlight and Lauren's plane was leaving at the same time...and Lauren was supposed to be part of WishFlight but got moved because of logistics...but that was definitely not a "normal" wish thing.

One thing I have noticed reading Wish TR's...is that each child seems to have a different magical moment...for 'wendygrace' her child got to meet and really interact with Peter Pan! And that was such a magical moment for them!! (and I balled like a baby when I read about it!) And 'mistymouse'...they got to have a cool interaction with Power Rangers...he even got to stand up in their car and take pics!! Totally cool! I won't go into all of them... but I do think each child has that moment...but not all of them are the same.

One thing I would suggest and something that I noticed last night. On the days that Lauren wore something that made her button more "noticable" - like a black shirt with her pink button...she was more likely to have a CM notice the button and try to create a magical moment for her. Mark gets one week to wear that button...make the most of it!! Whatever things he wants to do that the button would help with (character meet and greet, going faster through the rides, etc)...do those things. Especially if you are going to get to back to DW again to do shows, or other things that are not really affected by the magic button.

Anyway...I am so excited for you guys and your trip!! It is going to be awesome!! And I will keep up with you guys...since I have subscribed to your pre-trip report!

 

[lilmissdisney216]

subscribed to your thread and so far from what I have been reading, Lauren's trip report seems soo wonderful to me. I feel so happy that she got to go to the World on a Wish Trip. I was just listening to the radio a couple days ago and a mother was on and she was talking about how her 13 year old daughter visited Disney World for the first time on a Wish Trip.

I hope Lauren is doing well. I think the princess crown was fitting (hey every girl deserves to be a princess) and she looks like she had a blast. Congrats and kudos to her .

Much love and Pixie Dust.

Meredith

 

[jham]

Just got caught up! You are a great writer Maroo! I love it, and don't worry about making us cry, it's a good thing! Hi Lauren! Teresa's 16-year-old Cory is quite a catch Seriously, a great kid! You can see for yourself on her TR

 

[HeatherSue]

That dinosaur putt-putt video is too funny! I also love the picture of Lauren looking scared and William defending his sister (which is what I choose to believe he is doing ).

Ahhhh!! What's Lauren doing on the tracks!?!? hehehe Gotta love the look on her face!

Those stars on the ceiling get me every time I read about them. That's such a special thing!

Aww...you got me again with your comment about the wishing well.

That blurry picture where you're all laughing is so cool! Seriously, what a sweet moment!

--------------
Don't feel bad, I've been around since 2004 and I still don't know who the famous people are!
-------------------

Since there's been some talk of my incredibly sweet, funny, and smart 16 year old nephew, here's a picture.

Isn't he handsome?

 

[jham]

That dinosaur putt-putt video is too funny! I also love the picture of Lauren looking scared and William defending his sister (which is what I choose to believe he is doing ).

Ahhhh!! What's Lauren doing on the tracks!?!? hehehe Gotta love the look on her face!

Those stars on the ceiling get me every time I read about them. That's such a special thing!

Aww...you got me again with your comment about the wishing well.

That blurry picture where you're all laughing is so cool! Seriously, what a sweet moment!

--------------
Don't feel bad, I've been around since 2004 and I still don't know who the famous people are!
-------------------

Since there's been some talk of my incredibly sweet, funny, and smart 16 year old nephew, here's a picture.

Isn't he handsome?

Yeah, but where's the photo of him in the pants you made for him? (yeah, he's a good sport too).

 

[HeatherSue]

Yeah, but where's the photo of him in the pants you made for him? (yeah, he's a good sport too).

Well, since you asked:

I made these pants for Corey when he was a baby and they finally fit him once he turned 15. He is trying to model like a Mervyn's mannequin in this loverly photo. This is the reason I didn't sew from the time I was 17 until I was 32!

Okay Maroo, I am done hijacking your TR now.

 

[mom2lilnick]

hehehe.. how cute!

 

[maroo]

subscribed to your thread and so far from what I have been reading, Lauren's trip report seems soo wonderful to me. I feel so happy that she got to go to the World on a Wish Trip. I was just listening to the radio a couple days ago and a mother was on and she was talking about how her 13 year old daughter visited Disney World for the first time on a Wish Trip.

I hope Lauren is doing well. I think the princess crown was fitting (hey every girl deserves to be a princess) and she looks like she had a blast. Congrats and kudos to her .

Much love and Pixie Dust.

Meredith

Thank you so much for the sweet words!! The trip was awesome!!

Yeah, the Princess crown was pretty perfect.

Just got caught up! You are a great writer Maroo! I love it, and don't worry about making us cry, it's a good thing! Hi Lauren! Teresa's 16-year-old Cory is quite a catch Seriously, a great kid! You can see for yourself on her TR

Thank you for reading!! I don't really consider myself a writer at all...much less a good one. Yes, Cory is very cute! I LOVE the pictures!!!!

That dinosaur putt-putt video is too funny! I also love the picture of Lauren looking scared and William defending his sister (which is what I choose to believe he is doing).

Ahhhh!! What's Lauren doing on the tracks!?!? hehehe Gotta love the look on her face!

Those stars on the ceiling get me every time I read about them.
That's such a special thing!

Aww...you got me again with your comment about the wishing well.

That blurry picture where you're all laughing is so cool! Seriously, what a sweet moment!

--------------
Don't feel bad, I've been around since 2004 and I still don't know who the famous people are!
-------------------

Since there's been some talk of my incredibly sweet, funny, and smart 16 year old nephew, here's a picture.

Isn't he handsome?

We were walking around GKTW and just finding stuff to take pictures in front of...and Lauren drove over the tracks...and I had just the right angle...and no one was ON the train! So we went crazy and took some pics! It was fun. What an awesome day!!!!

And the stars...have gotten me in EVERY Wish TR I have read. It is so sweet...they will be there FOREVER...

Yeah, I tried to get the blurry picture "vetoed" when I wrote that part...but I was "vetoed"...so it was in!! Not a great picture of me personally...just craziness!!!

And, I think you don't know the famous people, because you ARE one!! I think your TR has like 1,000,000,000 hits or something like that!

Yeah, but where's the photo of him in the pants you made for him? (yeah, he's a good sport too).

Cory is a GREAT sport!! Does he know that his picture is all over the internet??

Well, since you asked:

I made these pants for Corey when he was a baby and they finally fit him once he turned 15. He is trying to model like a Mervyn's mannequin in this loverly photo. This is the reason I didn't sew from the time I was 17 until I was 32!

Okay Maroo, I am done hijacking your TR now.

OK...now THAT was hilarious...


Lauren says, "Wow, he looks nice!" (when she saw first pic)...then I scrolled down (and I had not seen the second pic) and she said, "But is that his underwear?" She said that she thinks he is a "great sport" for wearing the pants and posing for the picture. And if he knows it is on the internet, he gets extra points!

 

[maroo]

Ok, I am translating...

Lauren says, "Thank you very much for all of your comments and all of the nice things you have said. I can't wait for you guys to learn all of the surprises for the rest of the trip!"

And that is it...lol...a woman of many words.

Meanwhile...Maroo, that's me, is going to be putting out an UPDATE...TONIGHT...BEFORE...I go to bed!!!!

maroo and Lauren

 

[maroo]

First day at the parks!!! Woo Hoo!

Now, I sort of broke some rules…we went to Magic Kingdom first. Some say don’t do that! “It will spoil the rest of the parks if you do that first!” And we went on a Saturday…another no-no in some circles. But I did check www.touringplans.com and that particular Saturday was a low crowd score (3 out of 10)…so I figured, what the heck!

If you want to know what the plans were for the day and why we did what…check out the pretrip report...

Link to the PRE-TRIP REPORT...If you want some more to read...

Or you can forget those boring details and keep reading...here is how it really went!!!

We got up early…I promised Lauren I would not tell you how early we got up each day. That gets on her nerves. I am not sure why she does not want the world to know how long it takes her to get so beautiful. But it does take a while to get showered, dressed, hair dried, old make-up off, teeth brushed, hair straightened, new make-up on, recheck in mirror to make sure hair looks good, refresh make-up, re-check in mirror to make sure hair looks good, add hairspray, fix hair (get the picture?).

But, to give you an idea...this is the SUN coming UP from our room on that beautiful morning!!
And, NEWBIE MISTAKE...this is one of the ONLY pics I found of our view of the room (one more will come up later in the trip...)

It took a lot for me to really take a chill pill about letting Lauren get ready at her own pace each morning...I wanted to GET THERE! But I did fairly well…most of the time …in letting her do her thing without rushing her. I tried…really I tried! In Lauren’s defense…she may not be able to ride many rides…and the pictures will be there forever…and people do focus on her face more than most people, since it is the most prominent feature for her (after they stare at her wheelchair a little!) So, I have to give her a break.

Her mom and I would switch off most mornings so maybe I would help Lauren while Lisa got ready and then we would switch and she would help Lauren while I got ready. It worked fairly well. Anyway…that few paragraphs was for the few of you guys that wanted a "helpers" perspective...I am not really a helper...just feel like family...but for whatever that is worth...

So, eventually, we made our way to Lauren’s parent’s room. We all grabbed some breakfast in the room (cereal, muffins, protein bars, chex mix, drinks) and made it to the monorail at around 9:00 am. We also each had fanny packs filled with snacks and they had some water on hand, too. This helped save $$ in the parks and helped us to keep moving so we would not have to wait in line to just grab a snack.

We hopped on the monorail. Lauren was pretty nervous about getting on since it moved…She didn’t realize they had a ramp. Bless her heart. But the monorail folks were great…we told them we were headed to MK and they were ready to help her off when we got there. Impressive. Evidently they have little walkie talkies or something and they relay the message down the monorail line.

Monorail!! First time EVER! How excited are we?!?!?!?!

And we are there! MAGIC KINGDOM! Finally, we made it!! Down the steep ramp...through security….through the ticket turnstile…and ready to go? Nope…”I have to go to the bathroom!” from one unnamed member of our party. So, we head to the restrooms and wait a few min. While we are there, though, a CM sees Lauren’s magic button and tells her that Pluto and Chip and Dale are about to come her direction and to stay there and she will let her meet them. Cool! And so very sweet of that CM...the FIRST CM we really saw in the park. What a magical trip! So we hang out a few min. Then the CM comes by and suggests we go meet Mary Poppins first and then come back.
Lauren LOVES Mary Poppins…so off we go. Lauren is shuttled to the front of the line by a CM that sees her magic button. Mary Poppins was really sweet to her! Definitely Disney Magic!

** ALERT! Soap Box Ahead!! Now, I have to say this…to the other Wish families reading this and to those families that wait for other Wish families. We had a hard time with this. We really did not like breaking in front of the lines. I really had to remind myself that the purpose of this once-in-a-lifetime trip was to give Lauren’s family a hassle free trip. Well, our trip was not hassle-free. Our hassles were just different. For us to go rest a while required a trip across the park to the First Aid Station. Lauren had to stop and get shifted in her chair once an hour. Her day to day hassles are too many to name. So for this one week, she had fewer hassles than many people around her, and maybe, just maybe, it made up for some of the hassles she has for the rest of her life. So we got over our discomfort with breaking in line and just enjoyed it for Lauren (and William, who puts up with a lot, too!!) Ok, off my soap box…but definitely wanted to stay that for the benefit of other wish families (just enjoy it, guys) and for other WDW guests (just wanted you guys to know it is hard for us to break in line, too! Thank you so much for your patience!)

So, back to the party.

First...PICTURES....

Here is Lauren with Mary Poppins...

Mary Poppins signed her autograph book...and she was so sweet in her interaction with her!

Then, the CM that found us at the beginning then took us to see Pluto and Chip and Dale.

First Pluto...

One of our best pictures all trip...

I love the way Pluto signs his name...

And Chip and Dale...we will meet up with THEM again LATER!!

This was fantastic! They were all so animated and really loved on both Lauren and William…and the adults, too! At this point, I need to do a plug for Photopass…we LOVED it! Our pictures from them were great. And we did not use it enough! Especially for Wish families planning to do a lot of character greets…The photopass photographers get a lot of good shots that you can’t get because you don’t have a fast enough camera or the right angle to the scene. It is such a great idea to use Photopass, pre-pay for the CD and enjoy the character greets without having to worry about taking pictures yourself. Gosh, and Disney didn't even PAY me to say that!

Now, it is probably like...10:00 or something...it is LATE in the morning...I mean...on my schedule...we should be on Buzz Lightyear and heading to the next thing...and we have not even gotten to Main Street...(Ok, Mary, calm down.)

We stroll up Main Street...enjoying the Pixie Dust already falling our way...and we see this...
[

Now to this day, seriously, I have NO idea what this is...but it was cool...here are some more pics...

Sword fighting...although, my hero, Peter Pan, has his EYES closed! (Don't tell Wendy)

Ok, I am freaking out...so does MICKEY!

Anyway...MY eyes were NOT closed...in fact, they were WET. This made me cry! I don't know if it was the music...or the emotions of the past wonderful days...or that castle...or just plain pixie dust...but I was crying...It was beautiful. Whatever it was!

So...we made it to the castle...now it is like really getting late in the AM...come on people!! We have STUFF to do!!! (Calm down, Mary tells herself!)



But, alas, we run into some EVIL stepsisters...or people...are these stepsisters? Someone help...??? I have NO idea who these people are...I am going to be EXPELLED from the DISboard! ** Addendum!! Saved by jham... These nice...I mean...not nice...people are: Drizella and Anastasia and Lady Tremaine! So...can I stay...a DISboard member? Can I stay? Or did I get kicked off the island?!?

I mean...this face ALONE should get me expelled! I have NO idea what those ladies were saying...but my face shows something...was I laughing? Was I scared? I think I was FREAKED! I mean...look at my face!

So...here we are. It is approaching NOON guys...and we have not made it past the castle. What would The Unofficial Touring This Isn't Going To Work Plan people say? Would we ever ride a ride? Does Lisa ride Space Mountain? Well...these are answers to questions for another day, my friends. Because it is late. And I am out of SMILEYS!

But, alas, an UPDATE....Magic Kingdom! Part TWO!

 

[llurgy]

I just loved your report.....lol.....all the touring plan gone down the drain! But wait, the touring plan may have gone down the drain but the things that happened that morning instead of the rides was truly magical and was better than rides any day of the week. You can do rides almost anywhere but you cant get that kind of interaction, magical excitement and anywhere else.

I plan on doing 'some' planning but I will be totally amazed if we stick to my plan. I want my plans to go up in smoke just like yours did

Mandy

 

[jham]

You made me laugh again, even this late at night Don't you know Drizella and Anastasia and Lady Tremaine? You are right, you COULD be expelled! I don't know what that blueshowinfrontofthecastle is called either but it is the last thing I saw on my trip last January and it totally made me tear up as well. And I remember getting ready when I was Lauren's age. I woke up REALLY early to blowdry my hair and all that nonsense. Now I can shower AND do hair AND makeup in 30 minutes or less, and I don't think that's a good thing.

 

[maroo]

hehehe.. how cute!

Sorry I missed you earlier!! I am not entirely sure what you were referring to here...but my guess is that it was Cory! He IS cute!!!

I just loved your report.....lol.....all the touring plan gone down the drain! But wait, the touring plan may have gone down the drain but the things that happened that morning instead of the rides was truly magical and was better than rides any day of the week. You can do rides almost anywhere but you cant get that kind of interaction, magical excitement and anywhere else.

I plan on doing 'some' planning but I will be totally amazed if we stick to my plan. I want my plans to go up in smoke just like yours did

Mandy

Yeah, I poked fun at myself the WHOLE trip...because we didn't stay on one plan...really...just wait...months, and months, and months (not really) of obsessive (really) planning...

But, it was magical!! And I would not trade that morning for Space Mountain, for sure!!!

YES...and I would say to any wish family...take advantage of that button! You have 5 days!!! Don't plan anything... just go with the flow. Watch the magic happen. And take lots of pics...

You made me laugh again, even this late at night Don't you know Drizella and Anastasia and Lady Tremaine? You are right, you COULD be expelled! I don't know what that blueshowinfrontofthecastle is called either but it is the last thing I saw on my trip last January and it totally made me tear up as well. And I remember getting ready when I was Lauren's age. I woke up REALLY early to blowdry my hair and all that nonsense. Now I can shower AND do hair AND makeup in 30 minutes or less, and I don't think that's a good thing.

Ha ha ha...Yeah...I am expelled! Does that mean I don't have to do my homework?

I really had no idea who those people were...honestly. But I am going to go back and add their names. Poor people. They were nice...I mean...mean to us! Just like they were supposed to be!

Yeah...I really never got into the make-up, take forever to get ready, stage. Not sure why...but never did. But I do give Lauren more of a break than it probably seemed. The problem there is not the time it takes...it is more that she can't do it herself...so its, "Straighten THAT piece of hair...not THAT one...THAT one right there...in front of my ear...yes, that one." She just can't do it herself. And sometimes it makes me cry that she can't. And sometimes I get MAD that she can't and take it out on her (not intentionally)...which is not fair at all...and sometimes she gets mad that she can't do it...or more that she can't communicate to us HOW she wants it done. How exactly do you describe the piece of hair one inch to the left side of your ear halfway down the bottom of your head to someone? Is it your left or my left? ...but I digress...

Lauren is VERY patient with us. She can't do it herself and that is not her fault and most of the time she is completely patient and gracious with any of us that try to do it for her. And she should get a medal for that. A teenage girl being nice to us adults that are doing her hair. You know, many severely disabled girls have very short hair, per the requests of their caregivers, so it is easy to manage...and not the hair they would like to have. I am so proud to call Lauren's family my friends...because they really do TAKE CARE of Lauren. Not just her physical needs, but her emotional ones too...which is harder, sometimes, than just the physical stuff. They all deserve medals.

And on that note...I am going to bed...really...after I fix the evil step people's names!

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Maroo - what a great chapter!

Your soapbox moment was a great reminder that life's little inconviences are just that for most of us. But please, don't ever feel bad for breaking in front of a line. And you Maroo, deserve a medal!

I LOVE the character pictures. And tell Lauren her hair looks great

Too funny about not knowing Drizella and Anastasia and Lady Tremaine.....go rent Cinderella immediately

Looking forward to more!

 

[HeatherSue]

Anyone who doesn't go to Magic Kingdom first is just a sadist!

The view from the room- WOW!!

I think it's awesome that they let MAW families go to the front of the line!

I love Mary Poppins! Mary looks a little different on the day you saw her, but she still looks sweet.

GREAT pictures with the characters!!!

I like Lauren's glasses- very cool!

I have caught myself tearing up at many a show in front of the castle. You are not the only sap on the Dis.

I suppose I can forgive you for not knowing who characters from one of my favorite Disney movies are....I guess...Besides, the expression on your face reminds me of my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Jenny (she's my bestest non-family friend).
--------------------------

Corey is so assured in his coolness that he knows that picture of him in the plaid baby pants is circulating the disboards and he thinks it's funny! Now, if he knew his aunt Heather was trying to set him up with a cute girl online, he might be a little embarassed.
----------------

Jeanne (jham) and I probably had the exact same morning routine as teenagers because we looked pretty much the same in some pictures we once compared. She may have had a bit more height to her hair than me. I would have envied her high hair. Unfortunately, I am also able to get ready in 30 minutes- shower and all.
---------------------

 

[twinmum]

Great update! I laughed, I cried, I mentally through out our touring plan...

We have had 1 trip to WDW and 1 to Disneyland and I know how "finding the magic" can take you way off your plan...usually with happiy results! Still, being the control freak I am, it can be tough to accept. I am swearing that THIS time for Mark's Wish Trip, I am going to just go with flow (but still make the ADRs we have planned!) and accept once and for all that we're probably going back!!!

I can really relate to your "soapbox" comment about being brought to the front of the line. I remember the first time we took the boys to an amusement park north of Toronto (Canada's Wonderland). I felt very uncomfortable being brought forward all the time, which they did at that point for young kids with disabilities. (Now that the boys are older and go on more of the headliners, they use some thing like a fastpass system and give us a time to come back). I would pass a guilt smile and "thank you" to the family that thought they were next up for the roller coaster, only to be told that there was a disabled child coming who was going to go first. Specifically, I remember walking pass what must have been 200+ people to check out a raft-type ride (which Mark hated, by the way). We decided to ride, were taken on right away and had to walk right past all those same people on the way back out. We were soaked, so they knew we'd ridden...all while they moved a few feet!

I was uncomfortable all day. But I'm past that now. I just put in my mind all the challenges that Mark faces, all the extra time expenders (like bathroom, eating, resting and so on) that impact our days at the park, and realize that oh boy, does he deserve it, and his twin brother too! And you know, I've evolved enough that if we can split up so that Douglas can take in some of the b-i-g rides that Mark can't do, without as much of a wait, I'm all for it! Other Wish families have talked about siblings/parents being able to go on rides with either the GKTW button of GAC. I'm still not sure how that works. We won't abuse the rules, for sure...but if WDW or Universal want to treat Douglas like a king, he truly, truly deserves it!

Although we have seen kids asking their parents "why does he get to go first" we have always seen the parent lean over explain quietly, and then see the child's eyes widen as they examine the wheelchair, then nod. Never a bad reaction. We'll hope for the same again!

Isn't it great how they know you're coming with a wheelchair on the monorail? We stayed at the Grand FLoridian for our first trip, and lvoed being on the monorail. It meant Mark was able to use his walker to go to dinner at the Contemporary, Poly, etc. I remember walking out to the monorail one time. The CM leapt forward to get the ramp, and we tried to stop him, saying Peter and I could manage the lip. The CM said something like this,"Ma'am, when we meet a family like yours that includes a child with a disability, we know he and your family face challenges every day. While you're here with us at WDW, if we can do anything to make those challenges easier and make your day magicial, well that's what we're here to do."

Stepped onto monorail. Sat. Looked out window (away from boys), tears rolling down face. Realized that have finally found a vacation that works for family. Feel that for today, someone else wants to help shoulder the load.

(And by the way, for any Big Givers out there, that's what it felt like to receive your wonderful packages!)

10 more days!!! I can't wait!!! Actually, I have to pack for the Wish Trip for us today, because everything else in the house needs to get packed up (for more on our reno to make house accessible, please see my pre-trip.)

Thanks for brightening my day with your trippie!!!

Alison

 

[teresajoy]

I am such a newbie that I don't even know who is famous?! Uh...the room....Uh...I don't know...I did take one of Lauren sleeping...but it is, unfortunately, for another day........... But I might be able to borrow one from another report...it looks just like all of the pictures I have seen...??!?!?! Yikes...one more pic I should have taken! I really, really meant to take one of the shower...and I might have one somewhere...because it was cool...the handicapped accessible stuff....anyway...I digress...
:

Jamal and AshClan are the famous Disers I was referring too.

It's hard to remember everything to take a picture of! I didn't get many pictures of our rental house either!

Just got caught up! You are a great writer Maroo! I love it, and don't worry about making us cry, it's a good thing! Hi Lauren! Teresa's 16-year-old Cory is quite a catch Seriously, a great kid! You can see for yourself on her TR

Aww! He is a sweet boy, most of the time!

Since there's been some talk of my incredibly sweet, funny, and smart 16 year old nephew, here's a picture.

Isn't he handsome?

I like what you named that picture!!! He is a handsome young man, isn't he!

Well, since you asked:

I made these pants for Corey when he was a baby and they finally fit him once he turned 15. He is trying to model like a Mervyn's mannequin in this loverly photo. This is the reason I didn't sew from the time I was 17 until I was 32!

Okay Maroo, I am done hijacking your TR now.

That picture gets me everytime!

Lauren says, "Wow, he looks nice!" (when she saw first pic)...then I scrolled down (and I had not seen the second pic) and she said, "But is that his underwear?" She said that she thinks he is a "great sport" for wearing the pants and posing for the picture. And if he knows it is on the internet, he gets extra points!

Tell Lauren he is nice! And, no not his undies! But he DOES know I posted that picture! I told him I was going to post it before I took it even! He's got a great sense of humor (unlike his poor sister, Arminda)!

Ok, I am translating...

Lauren says, "Thank you very much for all of your comments and all of the nice things you have said. I can't wait for you guys to learn all of the surprises for the rest of the trip!"
maroo and Lauren

We can't wait either Laruen!!!! And, we think you are one fantastic young lady!