The Fixer,The CookMaster,The Teacher,The President: 2007 sequel-*BACK 10-20-08 * Yep

[IluvXU]

Praying for your family at this time of loss.

 

[goofyfan-12]

I was so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family right now.

Take care.

 

[KathyRN137]

Thanks for posting that, Emeline. to the whole family.

Kathy

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Jamal, You and your family are in our prayers.

 

[jaycns]

Please keep Jamal and her family in your thoughts and prayers - Shrek's dad passed away several days ago after some months of illness and while I know she is wanting to write, she has other things on her mind! She'll be back with even more in her heart after time with his family at the funeral this week.

Jamal and Shrek and family...you are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Suzflee]

Emeline,
Thanks for letting us know...

Jamal and Shrek

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord!"

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

to Jamal and Shrek...sending you peace in the midst of this trial.

Christamae

 

[mdsouth]

My sympathy to Shrek and Jamal and their family. Surround yourself in the love your family has for each other during this difficult time.

Emerline - Thank you for sharing the news with us.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Jami and Shrek, I want to add my sympathies as well. These are hard times

 

[PittypatBR]

Jamal, you're all in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Jennifer48]

Shrek and Jamal, you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[jamal]

Oh my. OH MY!

My heart is full of strength and warm thanks, for you are so kind to think of us. I am so sorry I have fallen behind in our tale. I cannot wait to get going again, for there is so much to tell!! Our magic has just begun, and I love, love, LOVE sharing it with you!!

Shrek's father died last week, as Em shared with you (thanks, friend!). We rejoice that his earthly suffering has ended and he is fully restored in Heaven. We miss him and our children miss him, but we have enjoyed some very rich family time these recent weeks. God has been a very present comfort and strength and our cloud of witnesses is mighty.

It IS time for some fun and magic again so my focus and pictures and typing fingers will be back this week with much more of our adventure. Shrek even said to Get On With It!

Thank you for your patience!!

The Fixer will be back S-O-O-N!

 

[jaycns]

Oh my. OH MY!

My heart is full of strength and warm thanks, for you are so kind to think of us. I am so sorry I have fallen behind in our tale. I cannot wait to get going again, for there is so much to tell!! Our magic has just begun, and I love, love, LOVE sharing it with you!!

Shrek's father died last week, as Em shared with you (thanks, friend!). We rejoice that his earthly suffering has ended and he is fully restored in Heaven. We miss him and our children miss him, but we have enjoyed some very rich family time these recent weeks. God has been a very present comfort and strength and our cloud of witnesses is mighty.

It IS time for some fun and magic again so my focus and pictures and typing fingers will be back this week with much more of our adventure. Shrek even said to Get On With It!

Thank you for your patience!!

The Fixer will be back S-O-O-N!

Once again, my prayers are still with you and Shrek and your entire family. It's never an easy thing to lose a dear loved one. I very much admire your strength, faith and your perspective.

I would have understood if you needed a bit to "get back to being Disneyfied" BUT...if you think you are ready... I am looking forward to your next installments!

Once again many hugs and blessings to you all

 

[Joanna71985]

Oh my. OH MY!

My heart is full of strength and warm thanks, for you are so kind to think of us. I am so sorry I have fallen behind in our tale. I cannot wait to get going again, for there is so much to tell!! Our magic has just begun, and I love, love, LOVE sharing it with you!!

Shrek's father died last week, as Em shared with you (thanks, friend!). We rejoice that his earthly suffering has ended and he is fully restored in Heaven. We miss him and our children miss him, but we have enjoyed some very rich family time these recent weeks. God has been a very present comfort and strength and our cloud of witnesses is mighty.

It IS time for some fun and magic again so my focus and pictures and typing fingers will be back this week with much more of our adventure. Shrek even said to Get On With It!

Thank you for your patience!!

The Fixer will be back S-O-O-N!

Jamal, just want to let you know that my prayers are with your family during this time.

 

[Jennifer48]

Just bumping for others to enjoy until its continued

 

[mkjmom]

Jamal.
I have been a fan of your trip reports (mostly as a lurker). I loved the last trip report with the Gatelatches at the Poly and thoroughly enjoying this one as well. I am very sprry to hear about your loss and will keep you in my prayers.

DH and I have been to WDW many times together and with our kids DD8, DS7, but we have recently planned a trip with some dear friends with children the same age, so I love reading what you and your wonderful friends have done together.

Looking forward to more...

 

[AshClan]

I just wanted to pop in. I just read your last two chapters again and got all teary again, this time twice. You are so eloquent with your words and emotions, m'dear. Just one of the reasons why you are so easy to love!

I know you are busy with Cinderella, and newsletters, and family, and puppies (well, puppy), but I think I can speak for all of us when I say we would loooovvve to see another chapter sometime soon.

 

[jamal]

Whew!! What a month. Few weeks. Whatever. You people are so real. So kind. So thoughtful. SO PATIENT. I really appreciate you.

Anyway, while the family enjoys a Saturday afternoon with the new puppy (YES and that is a shocker, let me tell you!) and E blasts “Play that Funky Music White Boy” alternately with “Cotton Eyed Joe” from the garage as he roller-blades, it is time to re-live some magic and escape to Epcot for a bit.

On with the show!

Let me say this: I am so glad Shrek is from Tennessee and not Canada. If every girl from Canad-i-a (as E sometimes says) looked like Cast Member and Le Cellier server Deanna, there would be no way I would ever be Mrs. Shrek. She was a charming, man-melting knockout and had our adult and younger males entranced from her first greeting.

We were seated in a back corner in adjoining booths. Perfect. The boys loved having their own table! Deanna proved smart, too, as she singled out first-grader E to help her read a printed salutation and portion of the menu.

This was delightful! We eat at Le Cellier every trip but had never had this experience. I’m guessing it’s at the server’s discretion, but it made a seven year old feel mighty big among the older boys.

We had just ordered drinks when...surprise!!!!!!

Our very best friends in all of Canada found us. Can you believe it?

Do you know Yak? My dear Dis friend and her family were in the World at the same time and happened to be stalking us that very evening. I am KIDDING!!

I had never met Yak’s mister so we had a wonderful get-together and greeting right there in the middle of Canada. They, of course, were on home turf and WE felt as if we were on foreign soil right in the middle of Florida. Ah… Disney magic….

So, we had a drink and a few photos as our tables for eight became, briefly, tables for twelve while Yak’s family joined us for those few minutes.

We knew our paths would cross again this trip, so we said goodbye and kicked them out of their country.

Darling Deanna brought the bread vases and proceeded to tell us about the provinces and origins of the three types of breadsticks. That is all I remember about that except she told the boys to listen carefully as there would be a quiz at the end of the evening. Dinner was delicious and we reveled in our adult conversation as we watched our sons eat their meal and talk among themselves. If you have young children who climb on you as you try to cut your steak, relax. These years will pass. You will, one day before you know (or want) it, look down a few feet at your preteens taking care of themselves and their siblings and know you have equipped them for this time. It will feel good.

Precious Deanna returned after the gorging and asked the boys what they remembered about the breads. Well, they remembered everything. Every fact, every flour, every province.

Study nerds, all, the CookMaster and I snorted!

Adorable Deanna gushed and applauded and said, “Well, I’ve never had someone remember anything about the bread, much less everything. Actually, I’ve never had anyone listen so well, so I never even give the quiz! I’ll be right back.”

And she was. She came back with two Dream certificates and eight Tinkerbell Castmember pins. One pin was for each boy to keep and one was to give away. Each family received a certificate:

We were so charmed with our lifelong friend by this point we knew she had only a few more months in the US. Shrek was plotting ways to keep her here. He was seriously discussing his unmarried co-worker and presented his credentials to Deanna. I became, briefly, concerned about Shrek’s intense focus about marrying off this pair which would lead to Deanna’s move to our hometown, but decided Shrek loved Deanna in a fatherly, platonic, caretaker way, so he remained my hero and I jumped on the bandwagon. As you see, we snapped a few reconnaissance photos of the girl but by the time we were home, said co-worker was already dating a local girl (THAT took a week…).

So America, if you see Deanna at Le Cellier, knock yourselves out!

We took our Canadian bread, salmon, and desserts in full bodies back to Beach Club to pick up jackets on the way to the YC/BC Marina for the Illuminations Cruise. The evening had turned colder and we weren’t about to freeze on a boat. Our captain was such a gentleman. I can’t believe I can’t remember his name. He took us on a nice ride over to MGM, where we watched part of Fantasmic! from the water. We circled back through the resorts and made our way, now wrapped in his blankets, to our observation spot under the bridge next to France. He called the boys in close and took some time explaining the story of Illimunations.

This was the best part of the cruise! He told us how in this story man comes into the world, moves through the ages, skills develop, nations form, and space is eventually explored. We must all work together and we have unending opportunity to do so. He set the stage so well and we all agreed it enhanced our enjoyment of the evening. I know I told you all about my emotions this particular evening two chapters ago, but it was terrific on every level!

We can recommend this cruise, especially if you can split the cost with another family. It works great!

So you know I went to bed with an unsettled heart and mighty prayers but when Stitch and Mickey called my feet hit the floor with anticipation: another day at Disney World! I rolled over and grabbed my phone, eager to see if there had been a call about Granny in the night. Nothing. I live by this motto: bad news travels fast. I jumped in the shower and rousted the crew.

Epcot called and you can’t fool around with Soarin’. We had to stick with the plan.

The Fixers and Gatelatches had a happy reunion with the Coattails in our usual lobby meet spot. Though we all had breakfast in the Concierge Lounge each morning, time was precious so our paths seldom crossed and, when they did, no one could afford to linger.

The older kids, needless to say, had few words at that hour.

The Coattails reported their dinner at Kona had been fantastic (love that place) and they had gone back to Magic Kingdom for some late night fun. Young G, my E’s seven year old friend, was pretty tired by the time they returned to the Beach Club around 11:00. Emeline reported an interaction they shared when they got back to their room:

Emeline: OK, G, brush your teeth and hop in bed.
G: Thank you. I have GOT to get off these legs!

He is just the cutest thing. All week he would sidle up to me with a squeeze of the hand and a big brown-eyed glance up to my face. He and E were simply caught up in the magic, even at a time in their lives (actually, they have been this way much of their lives) when they yearn to keep up with their older brothers and gain their approval. It was fantastic to see them be SEVEN and have their brothers’ approval (which they have anyway, for the most part) but care more about their own pleasure meter for a time. Skip, skip skip! There’s that sand again as we make our way out of the Beach Club, into the sunshine, catching up on the overnight news as we make our plan and our way towards Epcot.

I call my mother. She is sooo tired, but glad we are having fun. Moms are like that. Will I be? Granny is stable, but this is not how stable can be for very long. She still needs the respirator to breathe. I clutch the airline phone numbers in my pocket. Mom insists there is no reason to come for her sake, so I will wait. We all wait…

Up next: Soarin issues, traveling the world, and the quintessential Disney evening…

 

[goofyfan-12]

Jam-

Welcome back... It is great to hear from you again.

Your stories from the World continue to entertain and delight...

Also - congrats on the new puppy... I'm sure there is a book full of stories there just waiting to be written.

Take care.

 

[AshClan]

And I can't wait to hear about your Soarin' issues.

AND, HI YAK!!!! Thanks for stalking Jami so we get to see some pics of you (and the mister) too!! Did you eat at Le Cell, too, or just stalk there?!

Love Le Cell AND Kona! You guys must have some inside info, picking all the best restaurants as you do!!