VWL Lovers & Groupies thread: It all started with a Moose

[ethansmommy]

I just thought of another question, is there a laundry room/area in the villas area or do I have to use the one in the main lodge? And also does anyone know the prices on the washers and dryers?

 

[Nicoal13]

I just thought of another question, is there a laundry room/area in the villas area or do I have to use the one in the main lodge? And also does anyone know the prices on the washers and dryers?

For studios there is a laundry area in the villas side. They are free to use.

If in a one or two bedroom, there is a washer and dryer inside the villa.

 

[twokats]

That is a hard decision. My husband's grandmother has lymphoma. She was getting so sick on the chemo that she said ENOUGH! (She is an old RN so she knows of what she speaks). Her docs were so mad at her that one even discharged her. That was 4 years ago! It gets down to a quality of life thing. I personally would go for quality any day. But I can imagine how hard it is when you are so close. Prayers for you and your dear Mom.

Yes, it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and she made me make it. She would have still tried to go on and there was no way she could have. She has usually by this point in time almost over the effects, but she is still having to take the shots to build her blood level up and she is so weak. She did admit after I had cleared it with the doctor to hold off til Jan, that she did not think she could take much more of the weakness. She was just so stubborn in not wanting to be the one to give up. We are having a PetScan next Tuesday to see at what level we are now at.

I also thank everyone else that has given us prayers. I could not have gotten through this time without ya'll.

 

[ethansmommy]

For studios there is a laundry area in the villas side. They are free to use.

If in a one or two bedroom, there is a washer and dryer inside the villa.

Thank you for the info. Everyone has been very helpfull on this thread!

 

[Muushka]

Yes, it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and she made me make it. She would have still tried to go on and there was no way she could have. She has usually by this point in time almost over the effects, but she is still having to take the shots to build her blood level up and she is so weak. She did admit after I had cleared it with the doctor to hold off til Jan, that she did not think she could take much more of the weakness. She was just so stubborn in not wanting to be the one to give up. We are having a PetScan next Tuesday to see at what level we are now at.

I also thank everyone else that has given us prayers. I could not have gotten through this time without ya'll.

I didn't realize that she had you make the decision. Wow. That is really tough. I am glad she was able to speak frankly about the weakness. So difficult.

Let us know how she is doing. Hopefully she will get her counts back up and regain her strength. By the way, my husband's grandma, the feisty one, is 94 years old this week!

Thank you for the info. Everyone has been very helpfull on this thread!

 

[eliza61]

Ok, an update on our continuing saga.
Well, my groupie friends, I made the hardest decision I have ever had to make yesterday. Each of the last four chemo treatments have made Mom weaker and weaker and she has been such a trouper getting through it to go through it again and again. She is really bad this time and was ready to suffer and take the shots and get built up just enough to go at it again, but I prayed and prayed ( I told everyone I even talked to my Dad at the same time, lost him in '75) for two days and when we saw the Dr yesterday, I waited til he had checked everything out and then I told him I thought Mom needed a break from the chemo. I said, she can't take anymore right now and needs a break to get some strength until at least the first of next year. He agreed, so that is where we are.
We will start treatments up again in January and do what she can and when she starts getting weak, then I feel I will ask for another break and so forth and so on. That will be our life until the disease finally wins. I just did not see why she should die from the cure before the disease actually got her. But is was oh so hard to do.
Thank ya'll for your thoughts, prayer and pixie/moose dust. Now we will really start looking forward to the cruise in December which according to my countdown is only 104 days until we leave!!!

Hang in there Kathy and we'll keep the prayers and pixie dust winging to you.

 

[horselover]

Ok, an update on our continuing saga.
Well, my groupie friends, I made the hardest decision I have ever had to make yesterday. Each of the last four chemo treatments have made Mom weaker and weaker and she has been such a trouper getting through it to go through it again and again. She is really bad this time and was ready to suffer and take the shots and get built up just enough to go at it again, but I prayed and prayed ( I told everyone I even talked to my Dad at the same time, lost him in '75) for two days and when we saw the Dr yesterday, I waited til he had checked everything out and then I told him I thought Mom needed a break from the chemo. I said, she can't take anymore right now and needs a break to get some strength until at least the first of next year. He agreed, so that is where we are.
We will start treatments up again in January and do what she can and when she starts getting weak, then I feel I will ask for another break and so forth and so on. That will be our life until the disease finally wins. I just did not see why she should die from the cure before the disease actually got her. But is was oh so hard to do.
Thank ya'll for your thoughts, prayer and pixie/moose dust. Now we will really start looking forward to the cruise in December which according to my countdown is only 104 days until we leave!!!

You made the decision you thought was best for your mom's overall well being. That's the best you can do. Continued prayers coming her way.

Stopher - continued prayers coming your FIL's way too.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Hi Groupies - A question for you. DW and myself are heading down in two weeks for seven nights at VWL. I am not real picky about the view EXCEPT I do not want the dreaded dumpster view. We have had it before and it is as bad as it sounds. We will be checking in early (8:00 or so). I know our room will not be ready by then. How do I go about dealing with the CM when I check in to make sure we don't get dumpster? Should I do online checkin? Does that affect what room you get? Thanks. We are really looking forward to this trip. We will be celebrating my 60th birthday. Plus this is the first time we've done F&W.

 

[twinklebug]

Hi Groupies - A question for you. DW and myself are heading down in two weeks for seven nights at VWL. I am not real picky about the view EXCEPT I do not want the dreaded dumpster view. We have had it before and it is as bad as it sounds. We will be checking in early (8:00 or so). I know our room will not be ready by then. How do I go about dealing with the CM when I check in to make sure we don't get dumpster? Should I do online checkin? Does that affect what room you get? Thanks. We are really looking forward to this trip. We will be celebrating my 60th birthday. Plus this is the first time we've done F&W.

My opinion: never do online check-in. From what I understand you're room is assigned before you get to the front desk either way, however with OCI it's harder to change even if another room more suiting the member's request becomes available.

I'm not sure how to avoid the dumpster view since I don't really know where it is (is it end of the hall on the right?) If so, request for the exact opposite like lake side, NOT near the end of the hall.

Personally, I have yet to put in a request for VWL and fate has been good to me, although we have been the last room on that hall once. I just looked at the extra steps as more exercise that I don't get at home and as a bonus, it did cut down on the number of trips we made to both Roaring Forks and the store.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Thanks, what I think I'll do is as we check in I will say "if possible, can we get a room close to the elevators".

 

[Muushka]

Thanks, what I think I'll do is as we check in I will say "if possible, can we get a room close to the elevators".

That should do it!

PS Happy Birthday!

 

[WolfpackFan]

PS Happy Birthday!

Thanks. I can't believe I'm going to be 60 years old. And to think we still get as excited about going to WDW as we did 20 years ago .

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Thanks Allison. Yeah, it IS really nice there. When we still lived out there, we were just a half hour north in Orange (10 min from DL - driveway to parking lot). We would often weekend down in San Clemente. He used to be in a big rambling house that was much more than 1 person needed by himself, up in a huge neighborhood across on the eastern side of the 405, but sold that house and bought this place instead. That house had a tiny glimpse of the ocean, from just one side of the upper balcony, if you strained your head just so. This one is so much better! The places across the street have the REAL view, but none of us complain about this at all. It's simply gorgeous. It's really fun at times, with the binoculars, to watch the dolphins playing from time to time.

Even when he wasn't living in the condo for a while, he insisted on keeping it as the family vacation home. He's insisted that after he's gone, it be kept. He wants his kids and grandkids to be able to enjoy it as much as he has, even if just as a weekender. For us it's no longer a weekender, of course, but does provide a nice place to stay when we're out there. Many business trips I've enjoyed a night or two there, and as a family we've enjoyed multiple days to a week at a time. So that right there, is our own little version of DVC - San Clemente style. We love it there. I would love to live in that community if we ever moved back, but we cannot afford it... at least acquiring the real estate. Even though much of CA real estate values have plummeted, that ocean frontage property just hasn't.

I would love to live there too but you are right it is soooo expensive. Our friends moved there over 20 years ago and fell in love and will never move. Glad to hear you will still have a place to stay there. Hey when you are there do you ever get to my DD's favorite Mexican restaurant, Pedro's?

 

[jimmytammy]

Hi Groupies - A question for you. DW and myself are heading down in two weeks for seven nights at VWL. I am not real picky about the view EXCEPT I do not want the dreaded dumpster view. We have had it before and it is as bad as it sounds. We will be checking in early (8:00 or so). I know our room will not be ready by then. How do I go about dealing with the CM when I check in to make sure we don't get dumpster? Should I do online checkin? Does that affect what room you get? Thanks. We are really looking forward to this trip. We will be celebrating my 60th birthday. Plus this is the first time we've done F&W.

Hey WPF

Checking in early I believe is key to getting a better room. Times we have checked in early has worked out great for requests, later, not as likely. My folks came in late last trip and were at the very end of the long hall. We asked for close to elevators and that was all that was available.

BTW, how did you like the State -Cincy game? I got to go and for Wolfpackers, it was great!!

 

[Inkmahm]

I am very happy today. I was told by my boss that my review was good. At my age, I wondered if I were being grand-fathered out. But I am still good!

Oh, btw....

80 days until the Lodge embraces me!

Wonderful! Still unemployed here... enjoying my time but believing I"m going to be out a lot longer than I thought originally. If you have a good job, do everything you can to hand on to it in this economy.

 

[Muushka]

Go Wolfpack!!

(and a great excuse to use these guys! Look at them all!!)

 

[blossomz]

Happy birthday wmp!

 

[jimmytammy]

Go Wolfpack!!

(and a great excuse to use these guys! Look at them all!!)

 

[stopher1]

A belated Happy Birthday Wolfpack Fan!

 

[stopher1]

Good morning Groupies! Happy Monday.

So my DW returned home from California late Saturday night!

It was such a good thing to be able to send her, difficult as it was at times. Of course, returning home was difficult emotionally for her and her dad, but that cannot be helped. As she said, if shere were able to have a duplicator (like in the old Calvin & Hobbes comics), she would have done so in a heartbeat. Not being able to be in both places is/will be hard on her. They will keep in daily contact, and she is planning to return in probably mid-to late October for an extended weekend kind of visit.

As far as he is concerned, things are moving ahead. He has his good days and his not so good days. They are just taking it one day at a time. He is scheduled to return to the doctors in a couple of weeks for some follow-up tests to see if the chemo-like pill is working to slow the growth or not.

But the one thing that transpired Saturday night after we picked her up at the airport just spoke volumes to me, once again confirming that I had made the right decision (even though I actually already knew it weeks ago) in sending her. She phoned to tell him that she had arrived safely and we were driving home. She then thanked him for putting up with her for so long, and he turned around and said, despite all that he's facing and going through, that it had been the best 10 days of his life. He was so grateful honored that she would put her life on hold to come out and take care of him.
That just sent so many warm fuzzies down my spine and I just had to share.

So, with her back home again, I've turned in my teacher's guides, and am returning back to my own situation, which after so long will only feel like half of a job anymore But as I told her last night before bed, I will miss spending the time with my kids. Sure the office will be quiet, and I'll get a bunch of stuff done in less time than I did last week - but I won't be able to just hug or love on them whenever anymore. I won't have that sweet little girl's eyes coming up and looking at me while I'm on a conference call. And I won't have that rambunctious 11 yr old suddenly playing the theme music from Super Mario Bros on piano in the background any more... at least not during my workday. Sigh. For those things, and the benefit that both my wife and her dad got from the time spent... I wouldn't trade anything.

Have a great day Groupies!