Time to DOUBLE up!! 2 for 1 Pre-TR!!!!!!! TRIP REPORT HAS STARTED!!!!!!!

[that's nice]

Love the update Tim! Thanks for sharing the pictures. The ski goggles are so cute on Juliana - have you ever taken her skiing?

Was there no 'real' Tiana at the premier party? The other princess were there in real life, right?

We haven't taken her skiing yet.... probably next year. I thought the goggle pic was funny.

A real life Tiana was at the premiere. There were spots you could take a picture and chose different backgrounds. Then they gave you a card to log on to a website and DL your picture.

You might of been away when I posted about the NY premiere. If you want to read about it and see a ton of pictures check out page 80 on this report.

 

[that's nice]

Well I got through my abbreviated December update and wanted to tell you all about the Make-A-Wish progress. We finally got a call from Juliana's wish granters and we scheduled Jan. 25th as the day to have them meet Juliana. They called today to say they couldn't do that day and are going to come next Friday the 15th. It is only a week and a half away!

I'm starting to feel guilty about this wish stuff. We have been fortunate and blessed to be able to go on vacations- including Disney quite a few times in the last 2 years. It almost doesn't feel right to me to be doing this. I also wonder what other people are going to say... like we are taking advantage of the system or something. Maybe I will get a better feeling after they come and talk to us.

We keep bringing up to Juliana that a few ladies are going to come and grant her a wish and every time we talk about it she wishes for something different. I have no idea what she is going to say when her granters do arrive next week. MAW sent us a booklet that Juliana can fill in with pictures of different ideas of what she would like her wish to be. I have to get her working on that.

 

[All7OfUs]

Your Christmas pix are super!! Tim, you really have a great eye for photos! Juliana, of course, is quite the little model too.

I see you have a well-stocked bar on the counter. Is that a regular set up or....??

And what is with not feeding the reindeer as per USDA regs. Can you say stupid!!??

So, now you only have a week and a half left to get ready for the MAW folks! It will be very interesting indeed to see what she will wish for!!

 

[jenseib]

Wonderful holiday pictures...but now I'm hungry for a cookie!~ LOL!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Nice update. I love the photos. The one I left here is my favorite--your girls are beautiful.

This is my favorite too, but because of the awesome spread of cookies on the table. Oh, and the Mickey Paper Towel holder on the counter is pretty sweet, too!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I'm starting to feel guilty about this wish stuff. We have been fortunate and blessed to be able to go on vacations- including Disney quite a few times in the last 2 years. It almost doesn't feel right to me to be doing this. I also wonder what other people are going to say... like we are taking advantage of the system or something. Maybe I will get a better feeling after they come and talk to us.

Don't worry about it. I felt the same way when we got Madison as a foster child. The state picks up the tab for daycare, even if you have the means to pay for it yourself. They explained that we were not taking advantage of anything for personal gain, just utilizing the system as it was meant to be used.
I'm sure it's similar with the MAW folks. From what I've read, Julianna certainly fits the qualifications. I have a feeling that when you talk to them, they'll put you at ease about it. Besides, maybe all she'll ask for is an ice cream cone!

 

[tinkgurl]

WOO! An update! I was beginning to think you were gonna leave us hanging!

 

[that's nice]

Your Christmas pix are super!! Tim, you really have a great eye for photos! Juliana, of course, is quite the little model too.

Thank you!

I see you have a well-stocked bar on the counter. Is that a regular set up or....??

Well, we had to spike the egg nog with a little something. Egg nog and Kahlua... really good! We keep all out liquor out of sight... we just had them out for the night.

And what is with not feeding the reindeer as per USDA regs. Can you say stupid!!??

LOL

So, now you only have a week and a half left to get ready for the MAW folks! It will be very interesting indeed to see what she will wish for!!

I know.. We gotta get working on that!

Wonderful holiday pictures...but now I'm hungry for a cookie!~ LOL!

Thanks!!!

My family is all about Christmas cookies. Everyone bakes dozens of them.. I just like to eat them!

This is my favorite too, but because of the awesome spread of cookies on the table. Oh, and the Mickey Paper Towel holder on the counter is pretty sweet, too!

WOW you spotted that? I never realized how much Disney 'stuff' we have. Paper towel holders, napkin holders, snow globes, frames, cookie jars, door hangers, towels... etc. The list can go on and on!!!!!

Don't worry about it. I felt the same way when we got Madison as a foster child. The state picks up the tab for daycare, even if you have the means to pay for it yourself. They explained that we were not taking advantage of anything for personal gain, just utilizing the system as it was meant to be used.
I'm sure it's similar with the MAW folks. From what I've read, Julianna certainly fits the qualifications. I have a feeling that when you talk to them, they'll put you at ease about it. Besides, maybe all she'll ask for is an ice cream cone!

Thanks for the insight. I hope it is a little clearer once her wish granters come to visit.

If she asks for ice cream hopefully it will be a Mickey bar.

WOO! An update! I was beginning to think you were gonna leave us hanging!

WHAT UP TINK???????

I wouldn't leave you hanging. It was just crazy with the holidays and such.

 

[tinkgurl]

WHAT UP TINK???????

I wouldn't leave you hanging. It was just crazy with the holidays and such.

Okkkkayyyy...I'll forgive you.

I understand. It's been crazy busy here too! I hope to be doing my year in review sometime soon!

 

[StefaniLyn]

I'm starting to feel guilty about this wish stuff. We have been fortunate and blessed to be able to go on vacations- including Disney quite a few times in the last 2 years. It almost doesn't feel right to me to be doing this. I also wonder what other people are going to say... like we are taking advantage of the system or something. Maybe I will get a better feeling after they come and talk to us.

I am going to yell at you now Tim. Pretend this is all caps:

STOP feeling guilty. Seriously. Stop.

If other people think you are taking advantage of the system, then they are narrow minded and ignorant (sorry, I know that sounds kinda mean). I would DARE them to walk a single day in your shoes. Not just in the past during Juliana's treatment, but when, on a regular basis, Juliana must undergo painful testing and you are forced to wait on pins and needles for days to find out if she has relapsed and your world could once again be turned upside down. Consider all the time Juliana has spent in the hospital - the tests, medications, treatments, and procedures - unrecoverable time lost from her childhood. And consider the time, money and other sacrifices your family has made because of Juliana's treatment.

Juliana deserves to have a Wish granted for all she's been through and if she makes a Wish for Disneyworld, then by all means you and Mel should be by her side as her dreams come true. And while you may be fortunate enough to afford a Disney vacation on your own, a Wish Trip is completely different. Or, at least it was for us. A Wish Trip is not just another family vacation . . . . . (which Wish parent wrote that tear-jerker? You seriously need to go back and read that) it is a life changing event that transforms a Wish child from 'a child with special medical needs' into a special child who's medical needs have taught him/her that anything is possible.

We donate money (albeit not as much as I'd like to) to Make A Wish and I would be THRILLED if my donations were used to help grant a wish to a child like Juliana who endured treatment for cancer. I am certain other donors would feel the same way.

I know an extremely wealthy family that also went to GKTW on a Wish Trip. In fact, it was the child's father that finally convinced me I should submit Bella's name. He reminded me that a Wish isn't something that can be bought with money. You can't pay to stay at GKTW. You can't pay for the special treatment you will recieve from Cast Members and other people. And most of all, you can't pay to have your child feel like she on top of the world. It's not about money and whether you can or cannot afford it. If it makes you feel better, pledge to donate or raise the amount of money an average wish costs as your way of giving back. But please, PLEASE do not feel guilty one single bit.

 

[maroo]

I am going to yell at you now Tim. Pretend this is all caps:

STOP feeling guilty. Seriously. Stop.

If other people think you are taking advantage of the system, then they are narrow minded and ignorant (sorry, I know that sounds kinda mean). I would DARE them to walk a single day in your shoes. Not just in the past during Juliana's treatment, but when, on a regular basis, Juliana must undergo painful testing and you are forced to wait on pins and needles for days to find out if she has relapsed and your world could once again be turned upside down. Consider all the time Juliana has spent in the hospital - the tests, medications, treatments, and procedures - unrecoverable time lost from her childhood. And consider the time, money and other sacrifices your family has made because of Juliana's treatment.

Juliana deserves to have a Wish granted for all she's been through and if she makes a Wish for Disneyworld, then by all means you and Mel should be by her side as her dreams come true. And while you may be fortunate enough to afford a Disney vacation on your own, a Wish Trip is completely different. Or, at least it was for us. A Wish Trip is not just another family vacation . . . . . (which Wish parent wrote that tear-jerker? You seriously need to go back and read that) it is a life changing event that transforms a Wish child from 'a child with special medical needs' into a special child who's medical needs have taught him/her that anything is possible.

We donate money (albeit not as much as I'd like to) to Make A Wish and I would be THRILLED if my donations were used to help grant a wish to a child like Juliana who endured treatment for cancer. I am certain other donors would feel the same way.

I know an extremely wealthy family that also went to GKTW on a Wish Trip. In fact, it was the child's father that finally convinced me I should submit Bella's name. He reminded me that a Wish isn't something that can be bought with money. You can't pay to stay at GKTW. You can't pay for the special treatment you will recieve from Cast Members and other people. And most of all, you can't pay to have your child feel like she on top of the world. It's not about money and whether you can or cannot afford it. If it makes you feel better, pledge to donate or raise the amount of money an average wish costs as your way of giving back. But please, PLEASE do not feel guilty one single bit.

I TOTALLY agree with this!

Please don't feel guilty...

Remember all of those painful sticks? Those days waiting for scan results (which will be forthcoming for years)? That fear that your child was so sick?

Please don't feel guilty...

You *may* have some people that think you are working the system...and I would bet 100% of those same people have typical families with healthy kids - no one with a sick child would ever question this.

I have a good friend who qualified for a wish and they never did it...they felt like they could afford anything she wanted to do...and never accepted the gift. They really, really regret that decision. A wish is so much more than a "free trip" - it is an opportunity to do something just for her...and make her feel very special for all that she has been through.

Most of the kids going on wish trips now are not imminently terminally ill - they switched it to "life threatening" because cancer and other diseases were no longer terminal illnesses.

Please don't feel bad at all.

 

[All7OfUs]

They are both right, and I just have to say, I totally agree with the "rich" man who said that trips are NOT something you can pay for. Please, if you don't accept this gift, then look at it this way: You may be depriving someone of GIVING the gift which is also another way God uses people here on earth. LET them bless you!!

 

[that's nice]

Okkkkayyyy...I'll forgive you.

I understand. It's been crazy busy here too! I hope to be doing my year in review sometime soon!

I wonder what was the best thing that happened to you this year?

I am going to yell at you now Tim. Pretend this is all caps:

STOP feeling guilty. Seriously. Stop.

If other people think you are taking advantage of the system, then they are narrow minded and ignorant (sorry, I know that sounds kinda mean). I would DARE them to walk a single day in your shoes. Not just in the past during Juliana's treatment, but when, on a regular basis, Juliana must undergo painful testing and you are forced to wait on pins and needles for days to find out if she has relapsed and your world could once again be turned upside down. Consider all the time Juliana has spent in the hospital - the tests, medications, treatments, and procedures - unrecoverable time lost from her childhood. And consider the time, money and other sacrifices your family has made because of Juliana's treatment.

Juliana deserves to have a Wish granted for all she's been through and if she makes a Wish for Disneyworld, then by all means you and Mel should be by her side as her dreams come true. And while you may be fortunate enough to afford a Disney vacation on your own, a Wish Trip is completely different. Or, at least it was for us. A Wish Trip is not just another family vacation . . . . . (which Wish parent wrote that tear-jerker? You seriously need to go back and read that) it is a life changing event that transforms a Wish child from 'a child with special medical needs' into a special child who's medical needs have taught him/her that anything is possible.

We donate money (albeit not as much as I'd like to) to Make A Wish and I would be THRILLED if my donations were used to help grant a wish to a child like Juliana who endured treatment for cancer. I am certain other donors would feel the same way.

I know an extremely wealthy family that also went to GKTW on a Wish Trip. In fact, it was the child's father that finally convinced me I should submit Bella's name. He reminded me that a Wish isn't something that can be bought with money. You can't pay to stay at GKTW. You can't pay for the special treatment you will recieve from Cast Members and other people. And most of all, you can't pay to have your child feel like she on top of the world. It's not about money and whether you can or cannot afford it. If it makes you feel better, pledge to donate or raise the amount of money an average wish costs as your way of giving back. But please, PLEASE do not feel guilty one single bit.

Thanks Stefani. I need to hear that. I think I started feeling this way when I told my mom that Juliana was accepted for a wish. Her reaction was less than what I would have expected. Honestly she had no reaction at all. That told me that she didn't 1) agree with this or 2) wasn't happy for Juliana. I know that she would give the world for Juliana so it led me to believe that she didn't agree with this.

I know wish trips are a one in a lifetime experience... and Juliana deserves one. But as you get farther from the actual event, your fears and feelings lessen. Some people heal, some people become desensitized, and some people forget. I will never forget what she had to go through. But you are right, every time she goes to the hospital, there is always that chance that the doctors will tell us our worst fears have come true.

I appreciate you writing this to me. I totally understand where you are coming from and I hope my feelings do change. I guess you are right that unless you walk(ed) in our shoes, there is no understanding what we have had to go through.

I TOTALLY agree with this!

Please don't feel guilty...

Remember all of those painful sticks? Those days waiting for scan results (which will be forthcoming for years)? That fear that your child was so sick?

Please don't feel guilty...

You *may* have some people that think you are working the system...and I would bet 100% of those same people have typical families with healthy kids - no one with a sick child would ever question this.

I have a good friend who qualified for a wish and they never did it...they felt like they could afford anything she wanted to do...and never accepted the gift. They really, really regret that decision. A wish is so much more than a "free trip" - it is an opportunity to do something just for her...and make her feel very special for all that she has been through.

Most of the kids going on wish trips now are not imminently terminally ill - they switched it to "life threatening" because cancer and other diseases were no longer terminal illnesses.

Please don't feel bad at all.

Thanks Maroo.

I know that a wish trip cannot be bought. I actually wish that no kid ever had to go on a wish trip. I wish that their kids were well and didn't have to go on a wish trip.

We try to keep Juliana healthy daily. The biggest thing is washing hands and having her drink her water. Her poor hands are practically raw from washing. I know she gets tired of hearing us tell her to drink her water... we get tired of saying it too.

Thank you for your insight and if she does decide on Disney I'm sure I'll have a question or 2 for ya.

They are both right, and I just have to say, I totally agree with the "rich" man who said that trips are NOT something you can pay for. Please, if you don't accept this gift, then look at it this way: You may be depriving someone of GIVING the gift which is also another way God uses people here on earth. LET them bless you!!

I hear ya Liesa. I guess you have to be humble to accept a gift from someone.... especially a gift of this magnitude. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[tinkgurl]

I wonder what was the best thing that happened to you this year?

LOL..Gee...I don't know!

 

[that's nice]

LOL..Gee...I don't know!

 

[All7OfUs]

I hear ya Liesa. I guess you have to be humble to accept a gift from someone.... especially a gift of this magnitude. Thanks for your thoughts.

I know, because my whole life over here depends completely on donations from others; they pay our salary, work funds, - EVERYTHING!!

 

[that's nice]

OK here are some updates on the trip.

1) I got an email right after Christmas stating that we owed the balance on the rental house. Our friends, who were in CT for 2 weeks over Christmas, gave me their half. The balance went out today! Once they get the check, I will get an email telling me all the check-in details and other info about the house.

2) I booked CBR for the last two days of our trip... 3/14-3/16. While I was on the phone with the CM, I asked Juliana whether she wanted to stay where we stayed last time(POP) or in a pirate room. She shouted pirate room! The CM started laughing on the phone. I said well you heard her I'll take the pirate room.

3) Time to start looking for rental car prices. Priceline will probably be the best bet again.. but I will be checking Alamo with codes probably 2 times a day! LOL

4) I'm trying to persuade Melody to eat at 'Ohana on Monday 3/15.

5) I NEED YOUR HELP... I've been following the Cake Chatter threads for 3-4 months now. I really want to order a nice cake for Juliana's birthday dinner at 1900 PF. I want a Cinderella cake for her. I just cannot find what I'm looking for. If any of you can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Thanks Stefani. I need to hear that. I think I started feeling this way when I told my mom that Juliana was accepted for a wish. Her reaction was less than what I would have expected. Honestly she had no reaction at all. That told me that she didn't 1) agree with this or 2) wasn't happy for Juliana. I know that she would give the world for Juliana so it led me to believe that she didn't agree with this.

I know wish trips are a one in a lifetime experience... and Juliana deserves one. But as you get farther from the actual event, your fears and feelings lessen. Some people heal, some people become desensitized, and some people forget. I will never forget what she had to go through. But you are right, every time she goes to the hospital, there is always that chance that the doctors will tell us our worst fears have come true.

I appreciate you writing this to me. I totally understand where you are coming from and I hope my feelings do change. I guess you are right that unless you walk(ed) in our shoes, there is no understanding what we have had to go through.

When we told DH's mom (Gma that accompanied us on this trip), she had a similar reaction. Nothing. No criticism, but certainly no enthusiasm either. It was just another Disney trip for her.Having been on these boards for several months, I knew that a Wish Trip was WAY different than any typical Disney vacation.

Several of my friends asked "Didn't you just go to Disney last year? I'll bet you wish she had wished for something else." Nope, no way, definitely not. But the best was Grandpa's reaction of "if you wanted to go to Disney again, I would have given it to you for your Christmas present." God love him, but he likes to solve situations by throwing money at it.

Most of them realize now, whether it be due to my lengthy raving about what an amazing time we had, viewing the photos on Facebook or in my photo album, or reading my trip report, that this wasn't any ordinary, everyday trip to Disneyworld.

My guess would be that Grandma doesn't completely understand what a "Wish" entails like you and I do from reading past Wish Trip Reports. She doesn't understand that you can't buy the magic and pixie dust a Wish child receives. Give her time, she'll come around!

 

[All7OfUs]

1) LOVE that Jul. chose CBR. I think you'll all really love it there- well, ok, I"ve never seen it, but it does look great!! Very fun- fun colors, theming, BGM, everything, including pirate rooms!

2) Hope you can score a super cheap deal with a car!

3) Congrats on paying the house off! That must be a terrific feeling!

4) Hmmmm.... cakes. Can't help you AT ALL there! Would love to see what you choose though when you choose.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

I've got a lot to catch up on, but real quick.............Woohoo for getting the rental house balance paid! That's too funny about Ana and the Pirate room. I've been considering one for our next trip, so I'm looking forward to reading your review! Cakes....having had no experience, I have no advice. Sorry! But I'll be ordering one for DS's bday on our next trip, so I'm going to have to check out the Cake Chatter thread now.