Piper's Practically Perfect PTR..Wish Trip! 3/2-8...Upd Pg 126- TR Link!! Hooray!

Yay! Loved the video! Even though you thought her reaction was tame due to the illness, I loved how you could see the wheels in her head spinning when she opens the box, and then the "2010?!?!?" at the end. Perfect! Thanks for taking the time to share. (Oh, and it's nice to "meet" you!);)

Aww, thanks Melissa! She is very funny to watch when she's thinking. :goodvibes


Okay I'm back.

Nice to finally "see" you.:thumbsup2

Welcome back, Jordan..and thank you :)
 
lol @ the price tag. Sometimes Piper is with me when I shop, sometimes not. I like to hit the thrift stores, and usually leave her with my mom when I do those, she doesn't have the patience to stand there while I go through a million racks! :laughing:

Woman! You are talking to the Thrift Shop QUEEN!! You may bow down now. :worship:

I love finding all kinds of great stuff- I"ve found Osh Kosh with the tags still on, beautiful glass ware for my Christmas mantle, unused Corningware- you name it!!

The trick is to be picky, and to know when your local shop puts out new stuff. :thumbsup2
 
Woman! You are talking to the Thrift Shop QUEEN!! You may bow down now. :worship:

I love finding all kinds of great stuff- I"ve found Osh Kosh with the tags still on, beautiful glass ware for my Christmas mantle, unused Corningware- you name it!!

The trick is to be picky, and to know when your local shop puts out new stuff. :thumbsup2

:worship::worship: I love it! :lmao: I'm the same way, which is why Piper gets impatient with me..lol. Our town is nice because it only has one thrift store, so everyone takes their things there. I'm a label shopper when I go..there's usually tons of Osh Kosh, Beans, Land's End.. quality stuff that lasts forever. Piper has gotten better about it the last year or so because she likes the good stuff too. ;) I occasionally go to the next town up the road, there are two or three there, and a couple of childrens consignment shops that usually have nicer stuff. I need to post soon about our house situation, I've hinted about it some, but it's a very cool story :)
 

darling pictures and I am SO glad she is feeling better!

Oh boy, I haven't done the Wii fit yet, the boys have been having too much fun with it. Now I'm scared!

:rotfl2:
 
darling pictures and I am SO glad she is feeling better!

Oh boy, I haven't done the Wii fit yet, the boys have been having too much fun with it. Now I'm scared!

:rotfl2:

Thank you :) She was actually vomitting again last night, so we have dc'ed the antibiotics with the Dr's okay. It was apparently either one of them, or the combination. She's been fine today off them.

I looove the wii fit except for the "portly" Mii it made of me, lol. Some of the activities are really sweat-inducing. I've programmed mine for the step, advanced step, run and advanced run with some fun stuff in between. The only thing I don't like about it is that it tells you to do everything barefoot, and after 15 min or so my feet really start to bother me..it may just be because I'm flat-footed though. I'm hoping by the time we leave I'll have more stamina, even if I haven't lost actual pounds doing it. Of course, Piper also loves it, and relishes in beating my high scores, lol. It's funny that the things she's good at, I'm not as good at, and vice-versa. I do normally wait until she's in bed for the night before I do it, that way I just have the machine ridiculing me and don't have to listen to her laughing at me as well!! :lmao:
 
I haven't finished reading up on your trip report, but just wanted to comment so far. I have gotten to the part where you meet the MAW team at the libarary. Your daughter is the absolute cutest thing ever. You are an amazing mother. I can not wait for you to get to Disney. If I could pick my dream job it would be granting wishes for MAW or being a social worker for St. Judes.
 
I haven't finished reading up on your trip report, but just wanted to comment so far. I have gotten to the part where you meet the MAW team at the libarary. Your daughter is the absolute cutest thing ever. You are an amazing mother. I can not wait for you to get to Disney. If I could pick my dream job it would be granting wishes for MAW or being a social worker for St. Judes.

:welcome: Thank you so much. :hug: We are so excited it isn't even funny. It's probably a good thing it's just the two of us living together, we'd drive everyone else craaaaazy! :rotfl: I know what you mean about the dream job..I would love to work for MAW, GKTW..even as a child life specialist. The things they do are just so special. :love: I'm sorry I don't have links on the first post to help people follow along, I really do need to do that! Okay..added quick links to the second post! Wasn't as hard as I thought, just time consuming :)
 
The beginning of a new year always makes me think about the past, where we've been, and where we're going, both literally and figuratively. I've commented here and there about our living situation, and how lucky we've been, and thought this might be a good time to explain more about it. It will be totally OT so feel free to skip it if you like :)

When I decided to leave the ex I pretty much had nothing to my name. When I say this, I mean I had to ask my mother in law to take me to a pawn shop so I could pawn my wedding band and engagement ring for the money to get my driver's license and an official copy of Piper's birth certificate. When she heard the shop was only going to give me $20 she paid for me to get the documents I needed. My db and his best friend drove to Ohio in a pickup truck and rented a uhaul tow trailer, we packed and got everything in within 2 hours, leaving a lot of things behind, but I do not regret it to this day. The police were called as a precautionary measure and actually followed us over the county line to make sure there were no problems. At any rate, when we got to VA and settled in I was sleeping on a cot and Piper on a kid's fold-out sofa (she was 3 at the time), in my mother's sewing room. I saved for a couple months to get a mattress, then we moved my old bed into the room..I was never so happy to see a real bed in my life!! LOL. Within six months of moving in with her, my mom's employers told her they had an old trailer in their park that I could HAVE, I would only need to fix it up, and pay lot rent each month. The hitch was that the trailer had been abandoned for 3 years! (Yes, years.) The first time we went in to check it out, it was literally like a time-freeze moment. There was still food..even milk, in the fridge. Toys in the kids bedroom, very nasty carpet throughout..and to top it off..they had installed their own fountain...in the middle of the living room!! with rock and mortar!

Luckily for us, my brother is a carpenter. We worked on the trailer for almost 2 yrs, always on weekends when he didn't have to work, and didn't have anything else going on. I would guesstimate we hit 1-2 weekends a month. We tore out the carpet to find the subflooring was rotten about 75% of the time. We laid new subflooring with laminate flooring on top of it, ripped out all the 70's wooden panelling and added insulation and sheetrock, had to replace all the bathroom fixtures, kitchen plumbing, etc. For me it was truly a labor of love, but not something I would ever want to do again! I have to admit taking a sledge to the homemade fountain thrilled me way more than it should have. Another guy my mom worked with came in and replaced all the water pipes and heat wrapped. We put new underpinning all the way around. We basically gutted the whole thing. My Aunt was nice enough to offer a new fridge as a housewarming gift, and took me to Lowe's to pick out a new sink and vanity. The funniest thing..it was just the two of us picking the stuff up and stowing it in my Uncle's pick-up. They have a fifth wheel, so there's a big tow thing in the back of the truck. (Technical term there..lol). Anyway..so we put the stuff in the back, thinking it's nice and secure and heavy enough to stay in place. We get on the highway..the wind is blowing..she's watching the rearview and I'm watching out the back..suddenly the vanity literally blows out of the truck and starts cartwheeling behind us down the highway. We make it to an exit, come back behind it, and finally spot it in the median, pull over, and get it back in the truck. We are both laughing hysterically!! :rotfl2: We still laugh about it to this day! When my bro and Uncle opened the box, luckily there was minimal damage, and it was easily fixed and hidden against the wall. All one of us has to do is mention how aerodynamic that box was and we crack up all over again..that sucker flew a good 75 yds easy! I've sewn curtains and bedspreads and painted enough walls that I would be happy to never paint anything again. But it's home, and we love it. It's wonderful to think about how far we've come in the past five years!

It's hard for me to believe when I look back now how much kindness Piper and I have been shown since we've been on our own. Because of the trailer, I'm able to stay at home with her and still get the bills paid without worrying about not having a place to live. Because of my brother, aunt, uncle, and mother, I was able to purchase the jeep with the money I would have spent trying to hire people to rehab the trailer. Because of the help of you all, I've been able to plan this trip the very best way that I can, received pixie dust (and thank you so much for that, you know who you are :lovestruc ), and made friends that I hope will stay friends even after our trip. I don't want to get too much more sappy, but I don't have a very active social life outside of the home..Piper doesn't do playdates because most kids just don't "get" her, and we had to stop the dance classes when her health declined earlier this winter. I haven't really met many people that are willing to deal with my lack of flexibility in scheduling things around Piper's meds, etc. I was thrilled when I found the wish trippers thread to meet more parents who go through the same things I do, and have been even more thrilled to meet everyone who's posted here and have been so supportive with prayers, positive thoughts, a listening ear, and good advice.

So my wish for everyone is that you all have a wonderful 2010..that you hug your children a bit tighter, hold your friendships a bit closer, and realize that even on a bulletin board you can truly make a difference in someone's life! Okay, now I am watering..LOL. I'm going to stop here before Piper thinks I'm nuts..just thank you all..again! :grouphug:
 
Wow, you've really come a long way baby!!! So glad that you were able to recieve all the help that you got since you left. Your story really warms my heart and yes I'm crying and yes I hugged my son really tight after reading this. :love: Just so you know.....you are not just recieving. You are also giving!! You are such a good example of strength to the rest of us. :goodvibes I hope you and Piper and the rest of your family have a very happy and healthy new year!!! :hug:
 
Ah, that made me teary. Your determination is inspiring! I love the story about your home. I hope 2010 is a healthy, happy year for you both. And just think of those Disney memories you will be making.
 
Amanda, that was truly a touching story! Thanks for sharing it from your heart. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and love that you feel loved and cared for by us. Maybe you don't realize it, but you have touched each one of us too- THANKS!!!

Same to you for your 2010!! Bless you richly!

Liesa
 
Happy New Year!!!!

Not having read your New Years comments before posting Happy New Year, I just wanted to say that I'm so blessed to have gotten to know you the small amount that I have, this far ;). I thought you were an amazing woman before I knew all of this, and now I think your an amazingly strong, courageous, and outstanding mom for all that you've done for you and your daughter. Thank you for the kind words, and thank you for the honor of me being able to make a new friend here on the boards. :love: :hug:
 
Wow, you've really come a long way baby!!! So glad that you were able to recieve all the help that you got since you left. Your story really warms my heart and yes I'm crying and yes I hugged my son really tight after reading this. :love: Just so you know.....you are not just recieving. You are also giving!! You are such a good example of strength to the rest of us. :goodvibes I hope you and Piper and the rest of your family have a very happy and healthy new year!!! :hug:

Ah, that made me teary. Your determination is inspiring! I love the story about your home. I hope 2010 is a healthy, happy year for you both. And just think of those Disney memories you will be making.

Amanda, that was truly a touching story! Thanks for sharing it from your heart. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and love that you feel loved and cared for by us. Maybe you don't realize it, but you have touched each one of us too- THANKS!!!

Same to you for your 2010!! Bless you richly!

Liesa

:grouphug: nuff said

Happy New Year!!!!

Not having read your New Years comments before posting Happy New Year, I just wanted to say that I'm so blessed to have gotten to know you the small amount that I have, this far ;). I thought you were an amazing woman before I knew all of this, and now I think your an amazingly strong, courageous, and outstanding mom for all that you've done for you and your daughter. Thank you for the kind words, and thank you for the honor of me being able to make a new friend here on the boards. :love: :hug:

:grouphug: Thank you all! I promise that will be the only other tear-inducing post in the thread, I don't think my tear sockets could stand any more, lol! It's making me cry again just reading the comments! I debated about posting it, I don't want anyone thinking I want to be pitied or need to be admired..*thinking* but it's just another reason I'm so excited about this trip and to be honest it makes me feel good knowing how far we've come in the past five years. A small part of me also hopes it may help someone else who's just lurking, stranger things have happened.
 
Happy New Year to you and Piper!

Your strength and determination are inspiring! :goodvibes You are an incredible mom and your story brought tears to my eyes. I hope 2010 is a wonderful year for you and Piper and that your trip is everything you both deserve and more! :hug:
 
Happy New Year to you and Piper!

Your strength and determination are inspiring! :goodvibes You are an incredible mom and your story brought tears to my eyes. I hope 2010 is a wonderful year for you and Piper and that your trip is everything you both deserve and more! :hug:

Thank you, Dawn..I hope you and your family have a wonderful year as well! :hug:
 
Happy New Year Amanda & Piper!! Thank you for sharing your story - no pity here just admiration of your strength! :goodvibes I wish for a great 2010 for both of you!
 












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