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Thread: Chase Family Vacation - 15-29 June, 2009 - Disneyland Hotel

  1. #26

    I'm so glad to hear that your kids are doing fine.

    I understand about not wanting to travel while a loved one is sick, and I hope that your Brother improves quickly.

    We just lost my Grandpa on the 30th and my Dad was really stressed about going on vacation since he was sick and we were told he wasn't going to recover. It's just hard to be away in case something happens.

    Take care........

     

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  3. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Pookie View Post
    I'm so glad to hear that your kids are doing fine.

    I understand about not wanting to travel while a loved one is sick, and I hope that your Brother improves quickly.

    We just lost my Grandpa on the 30th and my Dad was really stressed about going on vacation since he was sick and we were told he wasn't going to recover. It's just hard to be away in case something happens.

    Take care........
    Quote Originally Posted by MammaSilva View Post
    Oh no! I'm so grateful to hear the kids are ok ....how scary is that! Keeping your family in prayer that your brother starts showing improvement and your dad can just join you later in the trip.
    Quote Originally Posted by angcould View Post
    My thoughts are with you to, both you and your family, so glad to hear the
    kids are ok.... scary moments you have had this week..... so sorry for that I will be thinking of you and your family and definately your brother.
    Thank you all. My brother is doing ok. He is better than he was, but not as well as he could be. My dad has decided he is not going to go. He encouraged me to take the kids and go. He said he would keep me up to date about my brother and IF my brother gets to doing a lot better, he will then join us there. So, when I find out more, I will let you know.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  4. #28

    June 15 – We’re finally here.

    Well today has been a really long day. I tried to sleep in until 5:30 at least, just so I could get up, get the animals fed, and then outside so they could go to the bathroom. After that I could get myself ready before getting anyone else up. Most of that worked out well. Animals fed, dogs out to the bathroom, me showered, next up get children up to take their showers. Got that accomplished, then I had to get the animals in their little travel cases to go to the vet/kennels. For the most part that all went smoothly. We had five cats to transfer and three dogs. One of the dogs is a chow mix. I put him in the back of the Mariner, and I was surprised at how well he did. The only problem was when we were stopped at a red light; there was a guy on a motorcycle. The dog barked like crazy, in turn the other two dogs started barking. Now the other two dogs are a Chihuahua and a Maltese. So, we have the big dog barking in baritone, and the two little dogs barking soprano. The cats were meowing and going off as well because the dogs were driving THEM nuts. Got to the vet, deposited the animals and had to go to Wal-mart. Long story short of it all, my son needed a new Tracfone so JUST in case he got lost for whatever reason, he could call one of us. Got there, only two of the kids went to McDonalds to get something to eat because no one had done that yet. I took Josh back to pick out a phone, but they didnt have much of a selection, he got a black Motorola, we paid and left. Got back home around 9:20, had to change quickly so I didnt smell like animal, got the luggage into the Mariner, then everyone gave their dad and my dad a kiss and a hug good-bye. Just before we start to go, DD#2 starts to cry. She is upset because not only is my dad not going, but their dad had had a change of plans as well and he wasnt going either. Then DD#1 started to cry and DS had tears in his eyes. I was like What, are you afraid I am going to lose you guys somewhere along the way? and that made them smile a little. But they were all sad because this trip was not going to be the same. They dont do real well with big change.

    So, we get to the airport and search and search for a spot. I know we are on the fourth level, but how I get to the vehicle, well that might prove interesting. Got checked in, sent two bags forward, got through security fairly quickly and then waited to board the plane. Got to DFW fairly soon, got off, found out where we had to go, which was NOT in the terminal area we were in I kind of dont like DFW because we got to gate C6, had to go to gate C29, you would think that was just down the other hall and to the right or left, no not the case, you have to go ride a little tram thing. No biggie, I am thinking we have an hour. But really an hour is not that long. So, we find our terminal, the kids hold down the fort and I search for food. No one is overly hungry, but TGIFridays is right there. So, get some appetizer foods for them and a sandwich for me. Then we start boarding the plane again. Please keep in mind, that my son doesnt do planes well. Last time we went to Disneyland, he got sick going to and coming from on the plane. In my infinite wisdom I get him these wrist bands that are supposed to help with nausea. My original intent was just to get one set, for him. Then I remember that DD#1 had an episode of air sickness at one point so I get her a set. DD#2 is having stomach problems, probably from worrying about my dad not going and my brother actually being sick in the hospital, so I get her a set. The girls wore their bracelet things, they didnt have a problem. DS on the other hand would NOT wear his. So, almost to CA and he has to go to the bathroom, which I thought no big deal he needs to go. When the plane lands I tell the kids let everyone else get off the plane then we will depart. After almost everyone is off the plane, my son has to run to the bathroom because he is going to be sick. The bathrooms are full. I am telling him to NO throw up, until I can find a bag. Instead of hitting the entire bag, he gets some on him, in the bag and on my luggage. Oh yeah. I told him Next time we fly, you WILL wear the bands. I am not giving you a choice. I forgot one other important thing. Once we landed I called my dad to let him know we arrived safely. He told me my brother was still improving and the head nurse was telling him he really should come to Disneyland, so he MIGHT come on Thursday or Friday, but I wasnt to tell the kids just in case it didnt work out. So there is still hope.

    We get the luggage and go find the super shuttle. Oh I was not happy with our driver. Never again will I get into Van #541. So, the guy is loading our luggage and he isnt nicely stacking them, no he is THROWING each piece of luggage on top of the other one. I asked him if he could be careful with my carry-on because it has my computer in it. He said he was being careful and maybe I should take it up front with me. I was a little ticked off by that remark, but I did take it with me. We got three other passengers loaded up and off we were going. DUDE was getting text messages when he was driving. Oh yeah, he was reading them for sure, not sure if he was responding or not. I was never so happy to get to the hotel. After we got checked in we brought our luggage up to the room, settled in and then walked DTD for a while. DS, still not feeling all that great, only got a pretzel from Wetzels Pretzels. DD#2 still had food from TGIFridays, and DD#1 and I had Tortilla Joes. We were able to see the fireworks when they went off and then it was time to go to bed. We plan on going to Magic Mornings this morning. More to come!
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  5. #29
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
    Join Date
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    Being thankful for the gift of time.

    Report him, you have your computer, REPORT him to Super Shuttle, the texting thing is against company policy I'm sure and even if it's not Report him!

    Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
    Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
    If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
    they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide

  6. #30

    I e-mailed the Super Shuttle service, now we have to wait to see what happens.

    Just a little update, I did finally get Oscar's autograph and I learned that he was from Brownsville, TX. Thought that was really cool!

    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  7. #31
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Being thankful for the gift of time.

    How cool about getting Oscars autograph! He is a hidden gem for sure!

    Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
    Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
    If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
    they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide

  8. #32

    Jun 16th

    Well, I was up around 5:15 am this morning. I don't know why, but at home it would be 7:15 and that is normal. So, I got up, took my shower and got on MousePlanet to update yesterday. I woke up the kids around 6:15, because they said they wanted to do Magic Morning. No one wanted to get up. So, I left the room at 6:20 and headed to the park myself and just took pictures. I did manage to get that picture of the castle where no one is in front of it. I was pretty excited.

    Then I called the kids around 7:15 or so and they got up. We went to get my PAP but all the computers were down. The girls decided they just wanted the Chocolate Chip muffins from the bakery and Josh and I went to Carnation Cafe to get Croissantwiches with fruit. The kids all made fun of me for wanting Oscar's autograph and for writing this stuff out, but that is ok with me because now I will always have it.

    We hung out at Disneyland for a little while and the only ride that we got on was Winnie-the-Pooh. At 10:00 am the park was pretty packed. Splash Mountain was not working and Pirates had huge lines. The kids and I decided we would just rent a vehicle, go to the Character Warehouse and then Wal-mart to get food. We got to Character Warehouse and found Target easier so we went there and got breakfast items, water, sodas and a few snacks. Then I picked up Del Taco for DD#2 and DS. DD#1 and I had Mexican food last night, so we went to Carl's Jr. While at Carl's Jr, I got a call from my dad. He said that my brother now has lost 30% of his right lung. It is no longer functioning, and it never will. He could live like this for weeks, months, or years or he could pass away tomorrow. Dad has decided he will not take the chance to come to Disneyland because he would feel guilty for the rest of his life if my brother passed. Got back to the DL Hotel, got the kids to take the stuff upstairs to the room and dropped off the car.

    DS is now swimming. The girls are just chilling in the room with me for now. I need to find out if they want to go back into the park tonight.

    More later.

    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  9. #33
    16 Jun Continued –
    After DS got done swimming we went into California Adventure. We looked at Tower of Terror and the line was long – a 60 minute wait. We decided not to do that. We went to Monster’s Inc, where it was a 35 minute wait. Once we got done there, we just walked around California Adventure. That is when I talked again to my dad. He said that the pulmonary doctor told my dad that they flushed Adam’s lung again and found that now 60% of his lung is no longer functioning. That doctor told my dad that he has never seen an infection move that fast and do so much damage. The doctor also told my dad he might regret going to Disneyland because there is a good possibility that my brother won’t make it until the end of the month.

    17 Jun 09
    Today I was able to get my son up first. We got ready and went into Disneyland where we rode the Matterhorn. After we got done riding the girls were in line for the Matterhorn and were upset because I had not waited for them. I told them both that I didn’t plan to live my vacation in the hotel room. After that, I headed toward Pixie Hollow. I got to meet Silvermist and TINK!! If you can’t tell, I am a huge Tinker Belle fan. She was very cute. My son, however, would not take pictures with either of them. So, he was standing by one of the mushrooms and the girls and I were headed out. The photo pass guy asked him to just stand there and she ran up behind DS and got a picture with him. It was so cool!
    After that, we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Splash Mountain. Everyone was hungry so we tried Hungry Bear – well the girls and I did. DS wanted to try Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen. I ate part of my sandwich (I got the Turkey and the girls got the Chicken Sandwich) and took the rest to go back to the hotel so we could get DS his Gumbo. Along with that, I decided to try the Beignets. I got the small portion, because there are only four of us here and I ate mine when it was still warm. It was good.

    After that I went to the Walt Disney Travel Company and spoke with a very nice lady named Dee Dee. I explained to her that my dad was supposed to be traveling with the family but due to other circumstances he was not with us. So, she waived the fee and refunded for both of my dad’s tickets. That is helpful. She said that when we get home, we should file a claim with the insurance to try to get our money back from the Airlines as well because they charged 150.00 to cancel my dad’s flight. I’ll let you know how that goes. Dee Dee said you can only file one claim against your insurance so I really needed to wait to do it until I got home.

    After that we went to CA to get Tower of Terror fastpasses. We also rode TT. Then we went into the Animation building. We found out which Characters we were most like. Then we went to Off The Page and the other store that is close to the entrance, the one on the left. From there it was already around 4:00ish. The kids were chomping at the bit to get their pictures done in chalk. So, they stopped by the Portraits place in Down Town Disney. DD#1 got Mike, DD#2 got Jordan and DS got Jared. I’ll have to show you the pictures later. It took them at least an hour to draw the kids – not that I am complaining, but I was rather hungry. We got back to the room and the girls and I ate leftovers from the day. DS was out swimming again. We hung out at the room for a couple hours and then got the son back up to the room.

    We then decided to take the Monorail in. Got to Tomorrowland and saw Inoventions, and we had not gotten there yet, so that is where we started. We hung out there for about 2 hours. The house is WAY cool and I would LOVE to live there or have that back at home. I love all the technology of this house. After we got done checking all of that out, Innoventions was closing. We rode Indiana Jones and then Haunted Mansion. After that, we took the train back to Main Street. DS and DD#1 went to the hotel. DD#2 and I went to World of Disney so she could get this Jack Skellington and Zero fuzzy doll things. I have no idea what to call them. After that, we got back to the hotel. We didn’t get to bed until around 11:00ish.

    18 Jun 09
    I first woke up at 6:27 and decided I was not ready to get up. I figured MM would just have to wait until Saturday. I got up around 6:45 instead. Got the kids up later, all showered and got breakfast then out the door around 8:45. Got to Disneyland and saw they were going to have “The Lakers MVP” Parade. Personally, I don’t care for them or their MVP, but there are a few people back home that do like them so I sat down for about an hour while DD#2 and DS went to Space Mountain. They came out and the parade started shortly thereafter. I got pictures of Kobe and then we headed out of the gates. Our thought process was to go to California Adventure to try Toy Story Mania. Yeah, not so much. EVERYONE else and their brother were headed over to CA. So…. We headed to DTD. It was around 10:30 and we were kind of hungry. DD#2 wanted to eat at The House of Blues, so we went there. They didn’t open until 11:00 so we went to the Lego Store. Around 11:00 we headed back to The House of Blues. I got the Mushroom & Swiss “Blues Burger”. DS got the Smoke House “Blues Burger” and the girls got the chicken sandwich. After that, DS went to ESPN Zone while the girls and I headed to the room. I did some laundry and the girls headed to the pool. After that, we had fast passes to Space Mountain. Rode that, then went to Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear. Then DS went back to Innoventions to do the age machine thing while the girls and I headed back to see Tink and possibly a new Pixie. We were in luck, we got to see Fawn and then Tink again. In the line we met two very nice girls. At the end of our time, we found out their names: Danielle and Alicia which is really funny because that is the name of one my girls, like her first and middle name. I told them what I was doing with the bookmarks and explained we got SilverMist and Tink yesterday, so today we were doing Fawn. And also we had gotten Rabbit, Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. Well Alicia said her favorite character was Tigger, so I made sure to go back to my room to get one of the bookmarks to get for her. She seemed really happy to get it. She was a nice young lady. (She was in her teens.)

    Well, now and update on my brother. It appears my brother is crashing. The doctors are not sure if he will make it through the night. My dad asked me what I wanted to do. My brother decided a long time ago that if he died, that he didn’t want a big funeral. He didn’t want a lot of people there and he wanted to be buried within 24 hours. I told my dad I didn’t think I would be able to handle it because he is my little brother. I don’t know what the right answer is right now. I just have to wait to see what happens first. He has gone down this road before and have come through it. I just can’t stand the thought of him dying, but I can’t stand the thought of him suffering either.

    Tomorrow is Legoland, possibly.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  10. #34

    I am so sorry for the pain I know your feeling right now Yellowrose, I just lost my father in April... it is never never easy . I have you and your family and especially your brother in my prayers and thoughts..

     
    Angie

  11. #35

    Thank you Angie.

    My dad talked to the doctor this morning. Adam is now stable again, as much as he can be. What happened last night was they turn him from side to side to prevent bed sores. So they turned him to his left side where his right lung was elevated and the fluid that is there started going to his left lung which in turn was causing him a lot of problems breathing. He is doing ok for now. I just have to wait to see what God has in store for him.

    Thank you for all the prayers, it is much appreciated.

    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  12. #36

    I am so glad to hear he is stable.

     
    Angie

  13. #37

    Quick Update

    Just a quick update on my brother. My dad and I discussed it yesterday and decided to let my brother pass peacefully. The last few days have been really hard because he has crashed, then stabilized, crashed and then stablized again. They were going to start a morphine drip on him, but my dad said that he is basically not aware of anything going on around him any more. Now it is just a matter of time before he passes. We are going to cut our trip short and get out of here probably early Wednesday morning.

    I'll update the rest of the trip soon. Just haven't had the time to do it.

    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  14. #38
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2001
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    Being thankful for the gift of time.

    My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time

    Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
    Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
    If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
    they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide

  15. #39

    So sorry to hear about your brother. My thoughts are with you at this time.



     

  16. #40

    You and your family are in my thoughts thru this very difficult time.....

     
    Angie

  17. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by MammaSilva View Post
    My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time
    Quote Originally Posted by sierranevada View Post
    So sorry to hear about your brother. My thoughts are with you at this time.
    Quote Originally Posted by angcould View Post
    You and your family are in my thoughts thru this very difficult time.....
    Thank you all. Today, around 1:00 PST (3:00 CST) my brother passed away. We made arrangements for the kids and me to get back to Texas on Wednesday. He will probably be laid to rest on Thursday. I will do the rest of my trip report, it just might take me a few days.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  18. #42
    Registered User codewoman's Avatar
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    I am so sorry to hear. I'll be praying for you and your family to find strength, and peace and to celebrate the love you found in your brother's life.

    There are 10 kinds of people in this world... Those who know binary and those who don't.

  19. #43
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2001
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    Being thankful for the gift of time.

    My deepest condolences Shelley...losing a loved one is difficult under any circumstances. I'll be keeping you all in prayer for comfort and healing during this painful time.

    Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
    Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
    If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
    they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide

  20. #44

    Shelley I am so sorry for you loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you
    during this time. Take comfort in the fact he is without pain now and free.....

     
    Angie

  21. #45

    I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.


  22. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by Hannahbelle View Post
    I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. My prayers are with you and your family.
    Quote Originally Posted by angcould View Post
    Shelley I am so sorry for you loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you during this time. Take comfort in the fact he is without pain now and free.....
    Quote Originally Posted by MammaSilva View Post
    My deepest condolences Shelley...losing a loved one is difficult under any circumstances. I'll be keeping you all in prayer for comfort and healing during this painful time.
    Quote Originally Posted by codewoman View Post
    I am so sorry to hear. I'll be praying for you and your family to find strength, and peace and to celebrate the love you found in your brother's life.
    Thank you very much. My brother's funeral is today, so hopefully this weekend I will finish my trip report. It was fun as much as it could be.

    Take care all.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  23. #47

    I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.

     

  24. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by Pookie View Post
    I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
    Thank you.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  25. #49
    19 Jun 09
    Legoland – Today we went to Legoland. For the most part it was fun. We got there around 10:00ish, it was kind of chilly. Mind you, we are from Texas and the weather was kind of drab, cloudy and breezy. We wore shorts and didn’t bring our jackets. Besides all that, we had fun. The first place we went to was the Sky Cruiser. DD#2 wanted to do this the last time we went there, which was 4 years ago. This is the person powered rollercoaster. The girls went in their own car, and DS and I went on our own. That was kind of fun. Then we went on the Kid Power Towers. This is another thing that you do yourself. You sit in a chair and pull yourself up. Now that is ok for someone that is not afraid of heights (and I am, especially when I don’t have anything surrounding me to feel like I am enclosed). I mean, there is a huge difference to me between Tower of Terror and Maliboomer. I love Tower of Terror, but will not ride on Maliboomer. So, the Kid Power Tower is like the Maliboomer, only you control it. Now this thing also turns, so you can look over the park, but it isn’t fast or anything. So, here I am, going on this thing. I have always told the kids, try it once, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again. Practice what I preach – I do it. I am ALMOST to the top and I start to panic. I can’t get all the way up to the top, so I start heading down. DD#1 is telling me, Mom you are almost there… keep going. I am like… ummm no thanks. So, I head down and the ride is done. I was happy it was over! We decide we are hungry so we go eat. After that, we went to the Sea-Life building that is attached to Legoland. That was really cool. I got a lot of pictures and video of it. The kids got to touch star fish and the mermaid’s pouch (shark pod). It was very cool to walk under the sea to see the big sharks and sting rays. After that, we went back into Legoland. I had taken tons of pictures at Miniland USA. My son and I decided to look for something, I can’t remember what it was but we found the Lego Technic Coaster. That was scary – sort of. My picture is really funny looking, I look very scared. I called the girls and told them where we were, and they decided to go on The Lost Kingdom Adventure ride, because I had forgot all about it. When they got done on that, DS and I were in line to do it. The girls went to do the Technic Coaster. Shortly after that, it was almost time to go. We were happy because we were still cold.


    20 Jun 2009

    Today was a Magic Morning day. The goal of the day was to go through the Hidden Mickey book and find as many hidden Mickey’s as possible. I was able to get the kids up and going. We went on Dumbo, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Pinocchio – twice, Alice in Wonderland – twice, Peter Pan, Pirates (and we got our own boat), Haunted Mansion, went on Splash Mountain with a fast pass, Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan’s Treehouse, Indiana Jones (FP) Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP). We found several of the hidden Mickey’s. We ate at Caf Orleans – all of us got the Monte Cristo. Our hidden Mickey Mission found us going to not only the rides, but shops and other places. We were trying to do as much as we could because we weren’t sure what was going to happen with my brother. We made sure to go to the Electrical Parade as well. Not only did we look for the Mickey’s at Disneyland, we started the search in California Adventure Park. After the Electrical Parade, we attempted to go back into Disneyland to make it over to Fantasmic! Never made it there, it was super crowded and they had blocked off the way for the 10:30 showing so we left. Little did I know that this is a nightly practice to let the other people to get out of there so others could go sit down to wait. Oh well, we needed to go to bed anyway, because the next day was another Magic Morning day. Somewhere during this time I got another fairies’ signature on a bookmark. The last one to get was Rosetta – but she wasn’t going to be around until Monday and Tuesday. Monday we are headed to Universal Studios. Tuesday was going to be our last shot.


    21 Jun 2009
    The kids and I got up again fairly early. We again were looking for the Hidden Mickey’s and we were going to do the fireworks tonight for sure. I know we did several more rides, got more bookmarks and the maps signed. I can’t remember all that we did because we knew our time was coming to an end with all that was going on at home. The kids and I did watch the fireworks, and I even taped them. I got to see Tink and Dumbo fly. The trees were kind of in the way though, where we were standing, but I was happy to see it. We headed back to the hotel because we were going to Universal Studios on Monday.


    22 Jun 2009
    We got up at a decent time so we could eat and get ready for the bus ride to Universal. Once we got there, we rode The Mummy, then Jurassic Park, back to The Mummy and then decided we were hungry. We got the wrist bands so we could do the all you can eat thing. Once we ate, we went to see Backdraft. We were done there, and headed upstairs. We decided to go to The Simpson Ride. I had to go to the bathroom, so I sent the kids to get Homer and Marge’s signatures on my bookmarks. Then we headed to the ride. Once we hit the ride, shortly thereafter we got the notification that my brother passed away. All of us were sad, but knowing he was in a better place helped. I almost got sick on the Simpson ride. It is fun, but with the projection on the way, and the way the car moved, kind of got my vertigo going. After that, we did the tour ride twice, mostly because I wanted to video tape it from both sides of the tram. Got done with that, and it was getting kind of late because we had to meet back at the bus at 6:15 sharp. DS wanted to go see The Terminator thing, the girls and I didn’t. We decided to get some food to take back with us on the bus. Since we could go through the line as many times as we wanted too, the girls and I went through once, then I went through again to ensure my son got something to eat as well. I couldn’t find my son, because the show he had gone to see was supposed to be at 5:00 to 5:20, but apparently he missed that or wanted a better viewing so he went to the 5:30 showing. It was nearing 6:00 and I was getting stressed, no son… he wouldn’t answer his phone. So, I held on to the things that DD#1 had a hold of, and she went in search of DS. She got him and we took a few more pictures out front and headed to our bus. YEAH, we made it on time. We got to do most everything we wanted so I was happy.

    I almost forgot…. Before we actually got to Universal Studios, I had deleted the fireworks from the night before. I THOUGHT I had downloaded it, but then realized I had not. So, I told the kids if they wanted to go to the movies (they wanted to see Up) then I would go tape the fireworks again. They were too tired to do much of anything and opted to just stay in the room. So, I went to tape the fireworks once again. Only I got too far on the other side (to the left of the castle) and the trees were in the way. But I did meet a nice man and his daughter. They were up from San Diego for the day and wanted to see the show. Unfortunately neither Tinker Bell nor Dumbo flew that night. I was pretty bummed. But the man and his daughter were really nice and I enjoyed talking with them for the better part of an hour or so.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


  26. #50
    23 Jun 2009
    So, today was technically our last day here. My dad made arrangements for us to fly out of Ontario through Phoenix for the 24th. The funeral is set for the 26th at 2:00pm. I went into Disneyland for the Magic Morning so I could get as many bookmarks completed as I could. I got a brilliant idea to go to City Hall to see if they could get three of them done for me. I had Donald Duck, but needed Daisy. I had Dale, but needed Chip and I had Snow White so I asked to see if Ariel could sign the back of that one. The lady that helped me was very nice and said she would see what she could do. I was supposed to go back later that day to see if they were done. With that out of the way, I got pictures taken of things that I normally don’t take the time to get done. I can’t remember all of what I had done, but around 8:00, I called the kids to see if they were ready to get up and to meet me at California Adventure because the girls had gotten to ride Toy Story Mania, but a long story short, DS and I had not. I did forget to say that on Sunday, that the kids and I were going to go do Toy Story Mania, but DS had lost his ticket. Well, not technically lost, but he wasn’t sure if it was in the room or at ESPN because he had been spending a lot of time there. So, I got the brilliant idea of checking ESPN first, before heading all the way back to the hotel. ESPN is not normally open very early, but Zeke and Luther were going to be there that day to promote their new show on Disney XD. DS and I headed that way, got breakfast, hung out waiting for Lost and Found to open, which it never did… but I did manage to get the actor’s to sign a bookmark for my son. The girls got mad at me because they were waiting for us and I told them to go ahead and ride the ride that we would be there as soon as we could. And that we got them muffins because I knew that they had not taken the time to eat anything. On the way out of ESPN, DS and I received a bag with a t-shirt in it, and some stickers and an autographed picture. Dropped mine off at the room, DS found his ticket and he kept his bag and off we went.

    Back to Tuesday, we were the third family in line for Toy Story Mania. From what the girls said, it was much more organized today than it was on Sunday. It was fun. I think all the kids beat me in score value, but I had fun. We went on the Ferris Wheel thing, then DS went on Maliboomer. After that we headed back to the room for a little while. I had to go talk to The Walt Disney Travel Company to find out what I would need to do about the tickets we ended up buying because it was going to cost almost 600.00 per person if we stayed with American. Then I went to the front desk to let them know we would be leaving two days early. Somewhere along the way, the girls and I headed back to Pixie Hollow for Rosetta’s signature. DS went back to Innoventions. I got her to sign the bookmarks and I asked Tink to sign my maps as well as the other side of the bookmarks. I was so excited. We took a lot of pictures as well.

    I headed back to the room so I could get the last bit of laundry done, so we wouldn’t have a ton of dirty clothes to wash when we got home. The kids and I had a plan,because I deleted the fireworks from Sunday evening and I wanted to get a better view, I wanted to stake out a spot early enough. DD#2 and I were going to head into the park, while DD#1 and DS got the laundry from the dryer. I can’t remember what DS was doing, but I think he had gone back to the swimming pool or something. But together they got the laundry but didn’t have a key to get back into the hotel room. DD#2 and I were at the monorail, she headed back to let the others into the room. So, I got off the monorail and decided to head to the front of the castle, going between the Matterhorn and Pixie Hollow. Forgetting that they had the Celebrate Parade going on… I was talking to some cast members who were blocking the way for the parade to head to It’s A Small World. This one cast member, Dustin, asked me how my day was going. I told him it was just so so. He asked why, and I explained that my brother had passed away, and I was trying to get my map’s signed by characters and I had a lot to try to accomplish the next day in order to do that. See, I had bought a PAP for me, and originally I was going to buy the kids a Deluxe pass, but in lieu of what was going on, we decided that we shouldn’t spend the money on that, instead we bought some friends and family presents and things that we wanted with my Disney Visa Rewards money. With this being the last night for the kids, they were going to sit at Fantasmic! For the first showing, then wait for the second showing so I could sit with them and tape it for my dad to see, while I tried to get the fireworks for the last time before we went home the next day. So…. Dustin was really nice because he took my two maps, the sharpies and went in search of some characters to sign on them for me. We planned to meet back up in front of the castle, which is where I was planning on being anyway. I had explained to him what I was doing and he thought that I was planning ahead for the fireworks, which was good. So, he came back a while later and told me that Mickey Mouse said he was sorry for my loss, but to remember that we should celebrate life, which is what I had been thinking for the last few days. He was very sweet to say that. Around 9:10 or so, a voice came over the loud speaker to say that the fireworks might be cancelled due to high winds. At that point I prayed to God that the fireworks wouldn’t be cancelled. They were not, but again, neither Tink nor Dumbo flew. I was just happy to get the show on tape.

    After the fireworks, I headed to Fantasmic! I found the kids; they had a really good spot. So, it was about 10:10 or so, and they came over the speaker saying the show would start a little late. We didn’t know what that meant exactly, but we waited. I think around 10:45 or so the show finally started. I got it on tape. Then we headed to a shop for DD#2 to buy her last minute things that she wanted. It also gave us some time to let most of the people to disperse to wherever they were going. Then we headed back to the hotel. We got most everything packed up. I was up late. My goal for the next day was to head to Critter Country to try to get Tigger and Eeyore to sign the map and one more bookmark since we gave away one. DD#1 wanted that one specifically. When I got to Critter Country, I saw Rabbit. I was able to get Rabbit to sign the map for me. Then I got into line and waited. I asked if Eeyore would be in, or would it be Rabbit. I got told it would be Eeyore, so I was happy. I didn’t get this really nice ladies’ name, but I explained what I was doing and how it was our last day and why, and told her I was hoping to get Piglet to sign my map, but would just have to wait until next time. She took my maps and said she would see if she could get him to sign. She came back a few minutes later and I had Piglet’s name on my map. I was so excited, because not only did I get Pooh (from Dustin), Rabbit, Eeyore and Tigger, I had Piglet’s autograph on my map. I know I ran around the park for a little while longer, looking for a few things. DD#1 wanted the pin of Mickey’s head but in a zebra stripe. I knew we might be in trouble with our luggage, so I bought enough pins so I could get the rolling duffle bag. I bought one a couple of days earlier, so now I have two. Before we headed all the way out of the area, I went back to DCA and got some tiger butter fudge. Then went back to the hotel to get our luggage, move some things around and wait for our shuttle bus. After that, we headed home. That was a trek on its own. It will be a couple of years before we head back to Disneyland, but next summer we are supposed to go to Disney World and Universal Studios – Harry Potter Wizarding World.

    Sorry it has taken me so long to finish this up. If I remember more, I will add to this, otherwise, I hope you enjoyed what you could.
    Shelley
    DLR '80, '05, '06, '07(x2), '09, '14, '15, '16; WDW '97, '10, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16; DCL '13, '16


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