So sorry to hear about your friend, but it is too true, Life is precious and we should enjoy everyday!
I don't feel so bad about spending the kitchen remodeling fund to extend this vacation anymore.
No really...I spent the deck fund and the dining room fund going to Hawaii in April.
I'm broke, but I'm enjoying life
Sorry to hear about your friend. She is the reason why I wanted to share this message with yall.
Last year I made the decision to take a large portion of money and take my ten year old son on a Disney Vacation. We had been to DL and WDW prior to 07 but this was going to be different. I wanted to bring our bond closer together. As a single mom, sometimes you dont always get to be there for their special moments or hug them after a bad day at school. My heart told me this was the moment in time when my child was going to be moving into middle school and mom may not always be as important as a special friend and video games. I wanted to create the moment in time when ds could look back at all the fun and love we had together with Disney. I wanted us to have something special together.
In May 07 I took ds to WDW for six days five nights and off to the first (14 night) transatlantic crossing. We enjoyed the crossing so much. I would do it again! We made life long friends. We met a special family from Roseville, CA on our first stop, CC. How great was that. We were able to spend the next six days at sea, getting to know one another and the kids looked forward to seeing each other at the lab. Also, they were seated at our table for the dining rotation. I always find it amusing to know many more friends were made in the laundry room. We were in stateroom 6580, just a few doors down. Our final cruise stop was Barcelona Spain.
We left the ship for eleven days and toured the country. We stayed in a condo on the southern coast of Spain. We had a good time but it wasnt Disney. I was disappointed there wasnt a Navigator under our door, to help organize my days and the excursion desk to help navigate our outings. I missed the crew and other passengers.
We returned to the pier and got in line to return on the Magic, (10 night) Mediterranean cruise. I think to date that was the most excited I had been to board the ship. When we approached the entry door two crew members ran down the ramp and gave my son and I a hug and said Welcome home from your vacation. We missed you while you were gone. Tell us about your vacation. I couldnt believe the warm welcome. I was reminded why I love the crew and the ship. They always make you feel like family. We had a great time on board and didnt want to leave. So I planned two more trips.
We returned to Spain and flew to London and stayed for another week. We flew from London to Houston and stayed a couple more days. DS wanted to see the Johnson Space Center. A total of five and a half weeks later we were retuning home.
Later, I questioned if that was a wise choice with my money. Should I have invested it into my retirement? Should I have finished my basement? Should I have put it in the bank for a rainy day? About a month after our return I met a woman in her late thirties or early forties. She was fighting bone cancer for the second time. She talked about her four children and how they werent going to have their mother. I was so sad but then she said, Go look into my bathroom and look at my childrens photos. That is one of the happiest times in my life. When I leave this earth, I will always remember us together in
The photos. I went into her bathroom and saw three photos of her family together at CC with the Wonder behind them. I knew then I should quit second guessing myself.
As the year progressed and the economy was taking a down turn, I started to second guess myself about the trip. Also, people who I worked with thought I was crazy to do the trips. I love to travel and share it with my ds. They couldnt believe I was going again. I was driving to work on a beautiful early morning. The sun was orange and just peaking through the clouds. I was looking at the seen and thinking how grateful I was to be here and what we all have. Later, the same day I was injured on the job. When they took X-Rays they stated my hand wasnt broken like they thought but they did notice a cist that may be bone cancer. I went to a specialist, and he doesnt think it is but I will have to have surgery for the final determination. At that time I knew I had done the right thing for ds and myself. Live today and cherish every piece of it. No one can take the memories from you. Life is precious. Lets make the most of the time we have here.
Building Memories with our new friends on the Magic.
Kinda strange though... they sent them to David... at OUR address. I had to call to be sure they had me and Joe set up as the primary contacts, etc. After all... we want to be set up as return cruisers!
in June 08. So my loss was someone elses gain on deck 6. I hope to see lots of photos. 
In fact.. I think that's even one of the scrapbook pages I actually completed!!!
to Georgie and Sorcerer-Mickey. 
