Oct 29-Nov 7 2016: 2 Newbies and 2 Disney veterans chase a...Skeleton? Plus a 2013 F&W TR tossed in!

[lilpixiebabe101]

Ashley! Welcome back to the Dis! Jumping in to follow along on the new PTR.

Thanks Andy! Welcome and it's good to be back. Took a hiatus. Life got a little busy as you can see 3 became 4 since my last trip haha! I'm trying to get caught up on your most recent one at the moment!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

Thoughts, prayers, pixie dust, whatever you're personal preferences will let you send, please send to my family this week. My grandfather has physically and mentally deteriorated so rapidly over the last few weeks. He has eaten nothing since Friday but Ensure and not of his own violation. He is being places in the VA (Veterans Assistance) hospital tomorrow and the hope is that with the constant care and better equipped facility than we can provide to him that he will perk up and start to eat. Or be coaxed to eat. He has a living will with DNR, so him not eating is quite serious. Again, thoughts, prayers, pixie dust would be appreciated.

 

[pkondz]

That's rough. I'll be thinking of you.

 

[mom2cgj]

Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Prayers for you and your family.

 

[afwdwfan]

Sorry to hear that. Thoughts and prayers with him and your family.

 

[Glittercat]

Sending good energies to him and comfort to you during this challenging time. *hug*

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

That's rough. I'll be thinking of you.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Prayers for you and your family.

Sorry to hear that. Thoughts and prayers with him and your family.

Sending good energies to him and comfort to you during this challenging time. *hug*

Thank you everyone for the words. It was a long weekend. We spend Friday evening/night withmy grandmother kind of all rallying around her. Artemis definitely made her smile being there. He was so made when they left him at the VA home, but they knew it was the best thing for him. My grandmother kept crying and getting upset, but she said she'd be okay. She just wanted him to be able to rest and not hurt anymore. (He's a paraplegic who has been wheelchair bound for the last 6 years or so after being mobil with a brace and cane for the last 50 years.) Apparently the VA home did what we all couldn't. They got him to eat two bananas, frosted flakes, and an ensure. Plus he drank some choc shake for my mom yesterday. None of us like that he is there. But maybe this was the best place for him. Maybe his will have more good days. They say alztimers patients get "stuck" in a certain time and that's where they are most of their bad days. I told my mom I have to wonder if he's stuck when he was first injured and in rehab before he made the decision he was going to really live and walk again.

 

[pkondz]

Thank you everyone for the words. It was a long weekend. We spend Friday evening/night withmy grandmother kind of all rallying around her. Artemis definitely made her smile being there. He was so made when they left him at the VA home, but they knew it was the best thing for him. My grandmother kept crying and getting upset, but she said she'd be okay. She just wanted him to be able to rest and not hurt anymore. (He's a paraplegic who has been wheelchair bound for the last 6 years or so after being mobil with a brace and cane for the last 50 years.) Apparently the VA home did what we all couldn't. They got him to eat two bananas, frosted flakes, and an ensure. Plus he drank some choc shake for my mom yesterday. None of us like that he is there. But maybe this was the best place for him. Maybe his will have more good days. They say alztimers patients get "stuck" in a certain time and that's where they are most of their bad days. I told my mom I have to wonder if he's stuck when he was first injured and in rehab before he made the decision he was going to really live and walk again.

Sounds like a rough one. But glad he ate a bit.
How are you doing?

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

Sounds like a rough one. But glad he ate a bit.
How are you doing?

As of right now I'm doing okay. I'm still having a personal debate with myself of if the last time oldest say him will be the last time she sees him. I just won't want her last memory of him to be in hospital bed or not remembering her.

 

[afwdwfan]

That's a tough one. But I really hope that he continues eating and improving. Maybe he still has some better days ahead.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

That's a tough one. But I really hope that he continues eating and improving. Maybe he still has some better days ahead.

That is my hope as well. But unless he has multiple good days in a row in frequent I just don't know. Last time she visited, he knew her and they had a good visit. I just don't want to take her up there and him not know who she is.. Or worse it turn into one of his bad days where he knows who people are and is being mean for unknown reasons.

 

[Glittercat]

Last time she visited, he knew her and they had a good visit. I just don't want to take her up there and him not know who she is.. Or worse it turn into one of his bad days where he knows who people are and is being mean for unknown reasons.

At the end of my mom's battle with cancer she often did not know who any of us were and was very volatile sometimes, but was just self aware enough to realize it later. She was also bipolar and had a tough time regulating her moods before she was was ill, the kids and I loved her dearly though. She requested that we keep the kids away as she did not want their memories to be of her in that disoriented state. We did as she wished, and the kids never did see her the last couple of months, but they remember mainly better times and for that I am grateful.

Maybe his will have more good days.

I truly hope he has many more good days, and that the bad days blow over quickly.

They say alztimers patients get "stuck" in a certain time and that's where they are most of their bad days. I told my mom I have to wonder if he's stuck when he was first injured and in rehab before he made the decision he was going to really live and walk again.

This sounds very insightful and like you may be on to something. Do you know much about him from that time? I'm so sorry for the pain you and yours are going through and hope that there are good days yet to come. Thinking of you dear and sending s.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

At the end of my mom's battle with cancer she often did not know who any of us were and was very volatile sometimes, but was just self aware enough to realize it later. She was also bipolar and had a tough time regulating her moods before she was was ill, the kids and I loved her dearly though. She requested that we keep the kids away as she did not want their memories to be of her in that disoriented state. We did as she wished, and the kids never did see her the last couple of months, but they remember mainly better times and for that I am grateful.

That's how Buddy's mom was at the end. She had had a couple of strokes, but you could still see snipets of the real her. Or she'd snap out of her cloud and say something that was just so totally Stacey you knew she was still trapped in there somewhere. I know Buddy said his one regret in life is chosing not to let his younger brother, Who was 11 at the time see her one more time. She was so emaciaptated (I think that's the right word), she didn't even look like herself. She looked like a corpse already. He wanted him to remember her as he had the last time he'd seen her which had only been 2 maybe weeks before but she declined so quickly. So I do think I will wait and see how he is with the VA home. If it's good for him and he stays somewhat stable and has multiple good days at a time for an extended time, I may change my mind. But I would just hate for her to not be "his little peanut" and her not understand at 6.

I truly hope he has many more good days, and that the bad days blow over quickly.

I hope so as well. Hoping the structure and strictness may be good.

This sounds very insightful and like you may be on to something. Do you know much about him from that time? I'm so sorry for the pain you and yours are going through and hope that there are good days yet to come. Thinking of you dear and sending s.

I know it was a very terrible time for him. He was shot in either the Korean War or Vietnam. Not sure which, by friendly fire. They were being shelled and one of the guys in his platoon freaked. The guys gun went off and shot my grandfather in the back clipping his spine and through his stomach and bowels. I know he went to Germany initially then to Atlanta to recoup. He went through surgeries and a lot of rehabilitation. His wife at the time found out he would never walk again or have kids. She took his red corvette and sold his boat and divorced him. I think at that point it was a challenge to him. He walked for 50 years (met my grandmother bowling of all places) with a cane and brace with no feeling or movement in his legs. A routine artery stint in his legs and a infection setting in in a foot graph put him first on crutches and leg brace then in a wheelchair the last 6-7 years. (Plus two kids he wasn't suppose to have.) So he's a fighter. Hence my theory on where I think he may be stuck.

And thank you for the hug! I realized I forgot the hug back and in edit I can't put the hug back!

 

[pkondz]

As of right now I'm doing okay. I'm still having a personal debate with myself of if the last time oldest say him will be the last time she sees him. I just won't want her last memory of him to be in hospital bed or not remembering her.

I spent several years with my Grandfather not being well.
My mom would always say stuff like "This could be Grandpa's last ______ (fill in occasion)."
And then we finally got the call.... and it was my Grandmother who suddenly passed.

You just never know.

I'm glad you're doing okay. Please take the time to take care of yourself.

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

So update... After reading along on another 2016 PTR, I think we are shooting for a mini vacation in the fall to Pigeon Forge.

I found a nice cabin rental company (Bear Camp Cabins) if anyone has heard of them please let me know! The time frame we are liking on a couple of the cabins we really like are between 105-130 a night. 4 nights get 5th free. With a couple of DF's family members coming with us and splitting that wouldn't be bad at all.

Thinking some for sures
Ripleys, Dixie stampede, Dollywood, Cade's cove, obergatlinburg, maybe a few of the other attractions in town like laser tag/arcades. Maybe mini golf. I think just a nice time in the cabin would be good too. Bring all the board games. Cook most of the nights between me, his cousin, and his grandmother. The cabins we are looking at have a hot tub and pool table for sure. My favorite is 3 stories for about 120-130 per night and has those two amenities plus a 3rd story walk out landing with rockers to look at the view from plus dart board and foose ball table!

Thinking leave on a Thursday come back a Monday. If we don't do the special. If we do well trying to hit one of DD's vacation times and drive up Sunday or Monday and come back 6 days later haha!

 

[afwdwfan]

That will be a LOT of fun! When exactly are you planning to do Pigeon Forge?

We're actually going in late July. We go usually every other year with DW's family, but we were looking for something budget friendly to do this summer just to get away for a week and this is what we ended up with. We always stay in Sevierville at Oak Haven Resort. It is a cabin rental place and we've had great luck with them. It looks like they're probably priced a just a little bit higher than what you're looking at, but we've had great experiences with them and just keep coming back.

We've done Ripley's Aquarium and it is awesome. Never done Dixie Stampede but I think we might go there and Dollywood this year. We really want to have a lot of downtime too. We went to Cade's Cove last year and it was just brutal. It was beautiful but the drive to get there and back took forever. The kids were grumpy. We got hungry long before we returned to civilization. Just a warning to plan accordingly with the little ones. On the bright side, we did sea a bear on our way there.

 

[LizardQueen8]

I can't help with anything Pigeon Forge related, but I can help on the pixie dust front:

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

That will be a LOT of fun! When exactly are you planning to do Pigeon Forge?

We're actually going in late July. We go usually every other year with DW's family, but we were looking for something budget friendly to do this summer just to get away for a week and this is what we ended up with. We always stay in Sevierville at Oak Haven Resort. It is a cabin rental place and we've had great luck with them. It looks like they're probably priced a just a little bit higher than what you're looking at, but we've had great experiences with them and just keep coming back.

We've done Ripley's Aquarium and it is awesome. Never done Dixie Stampede but I think we might go there and Dollywood this year. We really want to have a lot of downtime too. We went to Cade's Cove last year and it was just brutal. It was beautiful but the drive to get there and back took forever. The kids were grumpy. We got hungry long before we returned to civilization. Just a warning to plan accordingly with the little ones. On the bright side, we did sea a bear on our way there.

Think sometime September or October. Will depend on my job and DD's school breaks. I'm on a contract postion that will go to late august, September at least. Maybe longer. But I may be moving to a new postion then. If I do, I can't just jump into a trip right away. May work out that I can work it at an interval between this one ending the next beginning. I work for a contract company that staffs out, some may be 6 week maternity type positions. Other may be years. So my vacation rolls over even if I don't stay within the company I'm "hired" for now. And DD gets a few Friday breaks, so it would be nice to hit one of those, so she misses less school.

We loved Dollywood. Definitely a lot of the adults. A lot of cultural things, but with your kids getting a little older they pay enjoy watching some of it. I know we used to watch the taffy pullers for hours. Dixie Stampede is one of my favorites. DF has no desire to see it nor eat the food they serve, so who know he and the girls may go explore while me and whoever else is on the trip goes!

I can't help with anything Pigeon Forge related, but I can help on the pixie dust front:

Thank you he's had a decent week. He was mad when they left him Friday, but they got him to eat frosted flakes, two bananas, an ensure, and some chocolate shake over the weekend. He's eaten a little here and there throughout the week too. So the pixie dust is currently working

 

[pkondz]

Can't help, but cabins with hot tubs and pool tables???? I'm in!

 

[afwdwfan]

Can't help, but cabins with hot tubs and pool tables???? I'm in!

I'm telling you... Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is definitely a tourist trap area, in a sense. But the cabins they have around there to stay in... WOW!