The ABC's of Trip Reporting- PLEASE JOIN US ON THE NEW THREAD!

[TarzansKat]

Oh, Maroo, I got chills reading about Baker and his family. What a wonderful church you belong to.

And you'll be in my prayers, hon. And I'm humbled that I was really the first person you read, I'd forgotten that. To think that somehow I had a hand in starting this for you, honestly, it's just humbling and reminds me of how God has a hand in our lives, even when we think He's not there.

 

[MEK]

What a wonderful story. The joy you must have felt by making this special dream trip happen must surely be a highlight in your life and far exceed any monetary or other material gift you could be given. Awesome! That's what it really means to enjoy life and make the most out of it.

 

[glennbo123]

Thanks for giving us Baker's story Maroo. I didn't know all of the particulars. I'm sure it's going to be a very special trip for them.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

So our church family replaced things like that…

And one day his Mom mentioned that they had a dream of taking him to Disney one day because he is such a fan - but the money they had been saving now was being used for furniture and other things they needed. Someone got word to me about his "wish" - and I mentioned it to a few of my friends - including some of you - and we made it happen!

We sent his family to Disney!

A room at the POP Century - Free Dining - and tickets and they were good to go! And it worked well for them to go over Labor Day weekend - which meant I got to tag along and play tour guide during the first few days of our trip! So you guys get to come along for the ride!

So…hang on to your seats…because wonderful things are going to happen to this little boy and his family on their special trip.

What an amazing gift! I can't wait to read more about this family.

Maroo, whatever cross you have to bear right now, I hope that it's burden is lifted soon. You are an amazingly giving person and a wonderful blessing.

 

[norybell]

Maroo, what an amazing, extraordinary, beautiful thing you did for Baker and his family...It makes me feel better about the world, that there are people like you in it.

 

[pooh'smate]

Maroo what a great gift you were able to be a part of. I can't wait to see what is in store for them and you.

 

[maroo]

I already knew most of the story bit what a great update Maroo! I cannot wait to read what special things were in store for this family that has been through so much! Helping with the Big Give and reading their stories is so heart-breaking sometimes. You are a very special person to have the emotional strength to be so helpful to so many!


Now, on a happier note,
We leave for WDW in 2 1/2 hours!!!!!!

Have SOOOO much fun on your trip! We will follow you from here!

Helping with the Big Give is an awesome way to give some major love to these families! It is a gift that keeps on giving!

Maroo you are an inspiration to us !!! I too did know the story about "Baker " I am looking forward to following along !!!
Liessa I am sooooo glad you found your Mickey book!!

You are so sweet! It was not just me, I promise you!! LOTS of people donated to the cause!

Oh, Maroo, I got chills reading about Baker and his family. What a wonderful church you belong to.

And you'll be in my prayers, hon. And I'm humbled that I was really the first person you read, I'd forgotten that. To think that somehow I had a hand in starting this for you, honestly, it's just humbling and reminds me of how God has a hand in our lives, even when we think He's not there.

Yep! TK - you were my first addiction to TRs!

I do belong to a great church who serves an awesome God!

What a wonderful story. The joy you must have felt by making this special dream trip happen must surely be a highlight in your life and far exceed any monetary or other material gift you could be given. Awesome! That's what it really means to enjoy life and make the most out of it.

It was really cool! Telling them that we made it happen was really cool! And there were a couple of moments on their trip that were just wonderful and I was lucky to be a part of them!

I have honestly been incredibly blessed to be a part of several wish kids' wishes and they have all been so very cool! What Disney does for these kids is really amazing!

Thanks for giving us Baker's story Maroo. I didn't know all of the particulars. I'm sure it's going to be a very special trip for them.

It was awesome!!!

What an amazing gift! I can't wait to read more about this family.

Maroo, whatever cross you have to bear right now, I hope that it's burden is lifted soon. You are an amazingly giving person and a wonderful blessing.

Thanks for the prayers! I wish I could talk about it more...it seems so clandestine...like I am holding out on you guys, who I would normally "tell" everything that is going on...but this one of those things that can't be discussed on the world wide web, unfortunately.

Hopefully it will be ok!! The potential is there for a total disaster - but the chances of it being that bad for me are slim - so hopefully it works out!

Maroo, what an amazing, extraordinary, beautiful thing you did for Baker and his family...It makes me feel better about the world, that there are people like you in it.

You are so sweet!

Honestly, I don't want this at all to be about me.

The heroes here are the wonderful people that kept going back and forth to their house to take them things they needed - the police, fire and rescue people that pulled people from the rubble for days - the FEMA folks that brought Baker and his family a "home" within just a few days - my church, who since Katrina has a great, very fast, mechanism to give back during a disaster (just serving a God who cares so much more than we do) - and the people (some are reading this right now) that gave financially to this endeavor and made it possible for them to come!

Maroo what a great gift you were able to be a part of. I can't wait to see what is in store for them and you.

It was so cool to be a part of it!!!

I don't know any Disney fans who don't LOVE to show a Disney newbie around!! And when they have had such a hard year...it is even that much sweeter!

 

[MaryAz]

Liesa What a fun update-really enjoyed reading it!!

Maroo First, big I hope the "mess" gets cleaned up soon and does not cause you to much anxiety/sadness. What a great family!! I used to work with autistic kiddoes so I can't wait to read more about him.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh Maroo!

Your heart continues to amaze me. While I recall some of the chat about Bakers family, and the trip and your role (things possibly changing, the shortfall, the money working out, etc) from what seems like forever ago, I confess, I'd forgotten it was part of this trip. You are a gift to the world Mary, don't ever every forget that. You certainly inspire me to be better, give more. Be more.

I hope whatever it is that you are dealing with passes soon and know you are surrounded by love as you work your way through it.

I can tell Bakers story is going to be amazing already.

 

[All7OfUs]

After my E… xhilarating stay at the swankiest place in Hollywoodland, it was time to see what other “Starring Rolls” I could land, or what other kinds of trouble I could get into to give the tabloids some juicy gossip to report on. It wasn’t hard, these days they take just about anything.

Sauntering back up the infamous Sunset Blvd. where the rich and famous hobnob, I thought to myself, “Self, what do the rich and famous do best? Set new world records on marriage and divorce? Find new and creative ways to get your private physician indicted by a grand jury? Get enough botox injected to fill the Hudson River? NO!! Of course not! They shop!” In my former life of being a normal run-of-the mill non-starlet, I was not a shopper. But give me a little fame, and watch out!! I was feeling the need to at least LOOK like I knew what I was doing in a place where all kinds of unnecessary, yet, perhaps entertaining trinkets could be found. So I entered this place!

This particular shop was run by a proprietor who at one time was probably quite ravishing; but sadly too many years of plastic surgeries gone bad, too many years of laying around a private pool in the intense Hollywoodland sun, and too many years of life in the fast lane had finally caught up with her. Now she was doomed to selling her wares to the rising celebrities who didn’t realize that they too would be “stirring up trouble” for themselves if they continued for too long in their lifestyle.

Not much interested me in this place- only a display of the newest craze sweeping Hollywoodland.

But, not being a collector of any particular genre of toy, I took a photo to run by my shopping consultant later; and satisfied with at least looking like I could shop with the best and most famous celebrities, I continued on to find other occupations. One of the most important and profitable things I did along the way, was take a few minutes to write down some of my memoirs at this well-loved establishment. Already they have been lost and found again. Someday, I’m sure they’ll be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars- I mean look at what Picassos are going for now, and some people even call that ART!!!

Not long after, while I was heading towards a place I had heard about where they can teach ANYONE to become an artist, I got a phone message from my agent, Cynthia! I was so excited to know that she had some good advice for my budding career in Tinseltown!! She said some things about being excited for my trip, but she also gave me the sage advice of practicing a few poses that might become trademark someday. Here was my attempt at striking that Hollywoodland-esque pose that others have already copied. For some reason Maria Von Trappe keeps coming to mind whenever I see this fabulous picture of me. Clearly, she saw my portfolio and swiped a great idea. Not that I would ever do that!

(And just for the record, Cynthia or Rebecca… whose thread was that discussion about over the shoulder purse straps on?? THAT’S what I’m talking about!!)


Eventually, I got to my destination.

And believe me- inside was ALL magic!! They magically made ALL the erasers DISAPPEAR!! They magically make most everyone in the place feel like complete idiots. They magically make you sit on chairs that are too far away from your drawing bench and resemble whirling dervishes. So, let’s see if there’s any MORE magic this Animation Studio can cook up, shall we???

Here is the blank slate you are given as you enter.

Apparently, I have some common sense, and instinctively knew to put the paper over the light table. (Some starlets CAN think.) There were others who couldn’t seem to figure that part out, and sat there like they were waiting to be served caviar and crackers. Today, I was a woman of mulitiple talents!! I now had acting, writing, shopping AND paper putting on the light table down solid!! While waiting for those “less intuitive” folks (really, this was a pretty obvious step, as opposed to what was coming) I snapped a picture of my art instructor.

So my hot art instructor starts his lesson by telling us all that there are NO erasers on our pencils. I think Disney has several reasons for this: One, they would NEVER be able to finish a lesson in the 15 minutes allotted because everyone would be erasing the entire time; Two, they try their best to make EXTRA sure you will never want to be an animator with their company; and Three, they would have to pay hundreds of dollars a week in the extra staff it would take to clean up all the tons of eraser detritus that would pile up on the carpets.

The next thing he says is that we’re going to vote on who to draw. (Since when has Disney become a democracy??) I can’t remember who all the choices were, but it came down to Donald. OK, great! I like Donald. We all started by following his instruction to make a “starter circle” about the size of a softball. I’ve never played softball- I’m not even sure I’ve even ever HELD a softball. Remember, I’m a star, not a sportswoman! So, I quickly made a shape about the size of what I THOUGHT a softball might be. All I can say is that it was a shape. It was not a circle. I cannot draw those. The producers and directors could threaten me with only landing roles with nude scenes, and I still couldn’t draw a circle. Nor could I draw the “banana” for his beak, or the “egg” for his eye, or the “kidney bean” for his hat. This was the end product of a pathetic attempt at adding new facet to my career as someone famous. I blame it on whirling dervish seating and my kindergarten teacher who didn’t let us practice circles enough.

At the end of our 15 minutes, he said that there is a “tradition” to give away the artist’s example to someone who could guess a trivia question. I was ALL over this! I love Jeopardy, and if it was Disney trivia, I had a pretty good chance at this!

This is where the REAL magic of Animation Studios was at! And of course, it helped to be IN SHOW BUSINESS, and have the right friends!!!


Because when he asked, “What is Donald’s middle name?”












THANKS to my co-star DAN, The Fauntleroy Man himself, I shot my hand up faster than Kirsty Ally gains 5 pounds. The entire class was shocked, stunned and amazed that: A) Donald even had a middle name, and B) Someone actually knew this useless (but NOT anymore) piece of news!! I won it! I won a Disney animator’s original drawing of Donald Duck straight off the light table!

Some of you know, I actually had a cousin who was a Disney animator in the 70’s, and I own some of his original drawings. And now to add this to my collection of original Disney art was just so thrilling.

So, once again, although I didn’t shine like a star in the drawing theater, I became a celebrity for about 1 minute, and gained a really cool piece of collectible art that will sit in my home gallery for me to always remember just WHO you know can make a difference in rising to fame and fortune!
After class a few of his students needed some extra tutoring- apparently he gets rather bored having to explain the size and shape of softballs.

Finally, it was time to pack up my treasures and move onto new adventure. Along the way, I found some portraits of a few more of my movie star friends:

I think Dopey was just finishing up his art lesson as well- I know that’s what I felt like coming out, too! But despite drawing being rather difficult, I vowed to come back and try again because I had such a magical time- now…


YOU go and have a magical day too!

 

[maroo]

Ok...

for the record....

I think we have had enough of any attempts at nude scenes.


And your Donald looks AWESOME!

I am so glad you are enjoying your day as the rich and famous!!

 

[All7OfUs]

Ok...

for the record....

I think we have had enough of any attempts at nude scenes.


And your Donald looks AWESOME!

I am so glad you are enjoying your day as the rich and famous!!

But, I'm so good at them!

Thanks- it was a good attempt- it did get easier, as time went on. ( I did this a few more times. )

 

[glennbo123]

You are a natural for the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Another great chapter!

"Detritus" is a great word that you don't read in a lot of trip reports. I'm glad you worked it in.

Drawing a "simple circle" is just about the hardest thing in the world to do, I think. Your Donald looked pretty good...maybe just a little too much botox in the beak.

That's awesome that the DIS, and FauntleroyFan07 in particular, helped you win a super-cool souvie!

I'm looking forward to seeing the artist's version. I'll be his has a botox-laden beak too.

 

[maroo]

But, I'm so good at them!

Thanks- it was a good attempt- it did get easier, as time went on. ( I did this a few more times. )

WHAT?!?!?!

What are you talking about?



ps - i tried to call you and got a wrong number?? call me if you get a sec

 

[Poolrat]

I wondered where you were off too!! Glad you're caught up- you've got one up on me. Your own thread has been flying lately too.

I think you'll like my next steps.

Just life getting in the way. High School swim season is in full swing, the Local winter rec league has just started and last weeks snow put everything 2 days behind.


Somedays it is all I can do to check my TR.

I really didn't have any more problems once I got the "new" chair...I actually almost had some problems one day because we barely slept and it didn't really have 8 hours to charge... But for the most part it was awesome!! And their customer service was great!

It worked out well for me on this trip because I was able to rent an actual power wheelchair - which kept Leisa and LeeAnn from having to push me around - so all of that "work" with Lauren more like hanging out with Lauren! - has really helped me for this trip!

And it gives me a whole new perspective...especially when I was by myself...regarding how difficult it is to get around, even at Disney, in a wheelchair. The crowds, the doors that don't open by themselves, the buses loading and unloading...it was really a lot harder than it looks!

I remember that night. I tell you, touring around with you opened my eyes to the wheelchair access too.

I remember when my kids were little, I realized how hard it was to navigate a stroller in most places that I had been used to just navigating easily.

I learned some things and also realized in some places we have miles to go to making it easier for those wheelchair bound.

 

[MEK]

Who Knew? I mean, seriously, who knew that Fauntleroy was Donald's middle name???? Kudos to you Miss Liesa for knowing that piece of trivia. I think its great!

FWIW - I love your Donald F Duck. It's perfect!!!!! I don't know what you're talking about. Very cool that you won the picture. I wonder what happens when no one knows the trivia question?

Seriously fun update!

 

[carissanboys]

How awesome that you won the trivia question! Can't wait to see the artist's drawing.

 

[TarzansKat]

What a great update. I'm glad you found your inner starlet and got your "shop" on. I love the villain candy store sooooo much. It's really unnatural, the love I have for the theming and products. One of the only places you can find tons of Nightmare Before Christmas merch. Ahhh, heaven.

Anyhoo, I don't know why, but I'm having a hard time looking at these pictures from DHS! All I can think about is my Mom. You know all the stuff I have going on right now (house, etc) so I think for some reason these photos just hit me and all I can think about is the last time I was there with her.

The comforting thing is that it goes on, you know? People are there right now, enjoying those same things, just like you got to enjoy them, and that makes me happy. Circle of life and all that.

 

[tinacaplan]

I realize we probably have some new readers now that this is on the Trip Reports board, so I will recap a little about Baker and his family. First Baker...

This is Baker. Baker is severely autistic.

As you can tell in that picture, his Mom is having to hold his face so he will look in her direction to take a picture. Taking pictures of him BEFORE Disney was pretty hard. So when you see pictures later in this report that show his face…this will give you an idea of how hard those are to capture.

He is 13 years old and loves all things Disney! He is one of US!

Check out his birthday party pictures!

His honored guest was MICKEY!!

And notice in that picture that the other seats are filled with Mickey things, too. And his cake is Jiminy Cricket!


Here is some background about how I met their family…

On April 24, 2010, an F4 tornado tore through Mississippi. Some of you guys probably remember hearing about it on the news - it was national news for a few days. The tornado was 149 miles long - it never got off the ground for 149 miles!!! It started in Louisiana and went nearly straight across Mississippi. The tornado was 1.75 miles WIDE. It was huge!

Baker literally saved his family because he was freaking out about the storm and alerted his family.

His family was in this house…

The walls were barely standing when the winds finally died down.

Some walls were not standing.

The damage to their property and area was horrific.

They lost many precious items in the storm.

Very unfortunately, their neighbor was killed when she was literally laying down over her three children to protect them from the flying debris. The three children survived, but the mother was killed. And she was their neighbor and friend. Baker's older sister, Sarah, babysat for the children. It was a tragedy for their whole community.



Video of some of the damage in the same town.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8J9Oj7dNhg&feature=watch_response



But the community also came together. My church, located just 30 miles away, provided some assistance to a handful of families. All of the families were special, but this family really stood out to several of our church members and the family was sort of adopted by a group of us.

We set out to meet more than the "basic" needs for this family and tried to particularly help Baker. Baker LOVED Disney videos and they really calmed him down when he got upset or agitated due to his autism. But they had lost them all in the storm. So we replaced things like that. To restore some normalcy to their lives.

Baker owned a BUNCH of Mickey Mouse dolls before the storm, but FEMA asked them to get rid of all of them because they had asbestos in them from the walls of the house.

So our church family replaced things like that…

And one day his Mom mentioned that they had a dream of taking him to Disney one day because he is such a fan - but the money they had been saving now was being used for furniture and other things they needed. Someone got word to me about his "wish" - and I mentioned it to a few of my friends - including some of you - and we made it happen!

We sent his family to Disney!

A room at the POP Century - Free Dining - and tickets and they were good to go! And it worked well for them to go over Labor Day weekend - which meant I got to tag along and play tour guide during the first few days of our trip! So you guys get to come along for the ride!

So…hang on to your seats…because wonderful things are going to happen to this little boy and his family on their special trip.

Wow...I am a little teary after that. I lurked a bit on your PTR for this trip, but not that much and wasn't aware of any of this. What a beautiful thing to do for that whole family and Baker, in particular.

 

[Flossbolna]

Maroo, don't worry about not sharing details about your situation. We all know that not every aspect of our daily life belongs on a public message board and can still pray for you to have the strength to get through whatever it is.

Liesa, wonderful update! I loved your duck, he has a lot of personality, even if he does not resemble Donald very much... And what a great success to be the one who knows the important piece of trivia! I would not have known this if it had not been for the discussion of Dan's screen name either. I really need to try to draw my own character during the next trip. Katharina and I did not make it there last time.

I had to laugh so much about the shopping that "stars" do! I love to read one of those celebrities magazines some times (at the doctor's waiting room, on a train etc.) and am always amazed how often you see pics of the "celebrities" shopping...