There is a slight chance I may be in Orlando with the kids the weekend of 21 October. I will keep you informed!
That would be AWESOME! We would love the chance to say hello while you're in town!
Gina, that is awesome that you are tumor free, and enjoying life. I lost my parent when I was 22, and was disabled before I was born. I will never complain about how far to walk or like you, always do what I want when I want, as I could also be not well some day.
Yeah, at least I am paying in my currency, but I was shocked that the price of the party tickets went up so much from last year. I think I bought it around $60, and now $90 and tax. So far, no other reservations for us for our December trip. Kids are not quite excited yet, but I am sure they will be.
This summer is flying by, and before I know it, in 4 and 6 weeks, back to school. The fall will have early days, as little one is now officially at our Senior High, and older one is starting college. Older one has a great schedule, as two days a week, has no classes. I told him, time to find a job during the school year. So many changes.
Sounds like your plans are taking form. For me, fpasses are only days away from being made, and I am still trying to figure out a schedule. It's a job I say! LOL
It's all about perspective, isn't it? I truly consider some of these challenges to be the biggest blessings. They sure make you approach life a lot differently, and allows you to take a lot of pleasure in the little moments that other people miss.
You definitely have a busy, exciting autumn ahead. How close is your DS's college to home? Will this mean a move into residence or will he be living at home while he embarks on his post-secondary studies?
I envy you being able to book your Fastpasses so soon. With our offsite accommodations, we'll be a full month behind you on that task. I am just hoping that a couple of good ones are still left by the time my FP date rolls around.
Oh my gosh - an awake craniotomy??? That's the kind of stuff you see on television, not hear about in real life! But 19 years tumor free is an excellent reason to have two trips so close together!
I actually goofed on the number of years.....Steve reminded me its only 18, not 19 (can you tell I'm anxious to hit that 20-year milestone?). Math was never my forte
.
But yeah, it was a pretty cool procedure, really. At the time (back in December 1998), my surgeon was pioneering that particular treatment in Canada and was one of the only doctors to perform it. My tumor was located in my right temporal lobe which primarly controls speech and memory. The danger in putting me out for the procedure was that if damage was done to the healthy part of my brain during the resection, by the time I woke up it was too late to administer corrective measures. So, he gave me the choice: awake or asleep. Much as I was scared to death, awake sounded like the lesser of the two evils.
I owe my life, and my health, to that very talented doctor. This is a great article on Dr. Bernstein, if anyone is interested in reading about the man who "fixed" me:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...tients-futures-before-they-do/article4184050/
Finally caught up!
Wow plans are coming together
. So fun! I'm having such a good time reading PTRs that I'm not too badly craving a trip to plan lol! Especially since my oldest is going to try for a Disney program next fall. Hope she gets it as it will be a fun excuse to visit often
haven't ever seen Disney with Halloween decorations and haven't seen MK decorated for Christmas since my own college program (I was spring but went back in December over Christmas and New Years to work to keep my main gate pass active)
I expect a photo heavy trip report ya know!
And congrats on the longevity of tumor free! Love that your embrace of life & enthusiasm comes shining through on the trip reports!
Oh, that would be so cool if your DD gets accepted to the college program! I will keep my fingers crossed and say a huge prayer for her. How awesome would it be for her to follow in her momma's footsteps?
Thanks for the congratulations. I really am just happy to be here
. I know I've said it before, but I am just so
blessed.
Definitely a little overwhelming financially, but totally worth it.
My boyfriend always says "it's just money" when I ask him if he minds spending so much on trip planning which is a great attitude to have when we're planning a vacation and I want to book everything.
My boss's philosophy is "It's only money. You make more every day!". I rarely regret anything we spend on our vacations: while some expenses have more value than others, almost all of them has a moment or memory attached that made it all worthwhile
.
Your BF sounds like a keeper. I'd marry that guy, if I were you
.
Glad to hear you are still tumor free! How scary that must have been.
My little Jake was not quite 3 years old when I had the surgery. Most terrifying time of my life. The thought of not being there to see him reach adulthood was almost too much to bear.
It's actually Simcoe Day and also Emancipation Day.
Simcoe day...to honour John Graves Simcoe the founder of York which later became Toronto.
Emancipation day....to mark the end of slavery in the British empire
Well, aren't you a smarty pants! I only knew it was a day I didn't have to go into work
.
I too have been trying to book HDDR for December but didn't know why nothing was coming up, I asked on the restaurant boards but no one seemed to know, nor did WDW dining! So any heads up on what's happening there and when it might be done?
Great news on the 19 year anniversary
Apparently the floor is being refinished later this year in the Hoop Dee Doo venue. There is a thread on the restaurant boards that says they won't be opening up bookings beyond the end of August until they have a better idea of when that refurbishment will be started and finished. I wish they'd get the lead out and decide, because I'm sure there's a lot of us who'd like to get those ADR's made for September, October, November and December. I will definitely let you know if we see those dates open up
. Time is a ticking......I would think it would be soon.
Congrats on 19 years tumor free!
Thank you Joanna!
. You've got this! 
....but still.....).
. Old habits die hard for our seniors sometimes.
. Having someone to plan with who is SO much like myself is SO MUCH FUN. I've been so excited a couple of nights that I've hardly been able to sleep 
. All that excitement and enthusiasm, though, has definitely resulted in some pretty impressive productivity. We even have a spreadsheet created and have filled in quite a few sections already (and may I take this moment to say how much I adore that girl.......she shares my Geekiness and loves a good spreadsheet as much as I do). Our tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party are officially purchased (though the amount I paid in exchange was enough to make me cry) and our tickets for Santa's Fireside Feast have also been bought. We have confirmed that we will be doing ICE! at Gaylord Palms (along with some of the other holiday events at the resort), and we have a couple of Disney ADR's booked too (we'll be trying Ohana for dinner for the first time ever!). Hoop Dee Doo is even being kicked around as a possibility at this early stage of the planning process: unfortunately, Disney Dining seems to have frozen reservations for September onward due to a reported floor refinishing inside the venue, so it will have to remain just a fun topic for discussion until we determine if we can get the night that works with our current itinerary.
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so I might have a long, cold winter to fill with our warm memories of Orlando.
