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Thread: Truely being Thanksful for this Holiday Trip to Disneyland!

  1. #1

    Truely being Thanksful for this Holiday Trip to Disneyland!

    Its been almost 2 years since our last trip to Disneyland as a large group of 14. My D and 2 DDs at that time they were 4 and 2 along with my mom,dad, brother and nephew and my DHs mom and dad, sister and her husband. Last Christmas we had all decided to do the trip again and it looked really bleek in February when my DH(the only working one in our household) was laid of. Fortunatly he was able to find a job and was back to work in 2 months. We were so excited he was making more money and it was not only a better situation financialy but this would be the first time we were able to afford disneyland on our own with no family help or "early Christmas presents" and would have more than enough spending money. It felt so good to be able to do this for our girls. Last Wednesday was my DHs 33rd b-day and we happend to get or Disneyland packet that day to. The girls picked the park hoppers they wanted and were looking through the brochures it was completely exciting. The next day right as I was leaving to pick up my oldest from school I got a call from my husband, they called him on his cell phone at work and told him they were eliminating his entire department and that he was again laid off. In a split second we went from the highest high from the trip to the lowest we had been. I had to break the news to my DDs that the trip had to be cancelled because daddy lost his job. I was so proud of them they were really good about it and after shedding a few tears were more concerned about their daddy. A few hours later after I broke the news to my parents my mom called. My dad had told her to call me and let me know that he was going to give us $1000 to cover most of what we would have gotten from canceling as well as covering our food and expenses while we were there. I was overwhelmed at that point. Just a month prior my mom had told me the $500 they were going to put towards our room and my brothers room they just couldnt do because of property taxes coming up so for them to make that offer was almost unreal. My mom and I both in tears and just overcome with emotion, she explained to me his reasoning.....dad said he will find the money somewhere, its more important that the family be on this trip together. No one ever knows what the next day brings and this could be our last trip like this so he will find it somewhere in their budget to make sure we are there with them.
    We havent broke the news to our girls yet , they are still under the impression that we are not going. My husband and I have decied to tell them on Thanksgiving as a learning tool for them about the importance of family and appreciation. This trip though somewhat disappointing because we are now not paying it on our own etc is probably the most special Holiday Disney trip we have taken. It has reminded me that the most important thing in life are the friends and family who love and support you and are there to help pick you up and dust you off. It means the world to us that my parents are willing to sacrifice to make this trip possible and that we are still able to give this to the girls. Its the perfect time of year to be reminded of the importance of being Thankful for what we have and now dwell on what we dont have.
    For those of my fellow MPers that are going to DR during the holidays I hope you take a minute to take it all in and truely enjoy where you are and the fact that your there with your family because the moments you share and memories you make are something that lasts a lifetime and will never go away.

    Thank you Mom and Dad I admire and love you more than you know!

    Dana


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  3. #2

    Dana, how wonderful that your family is helping you out. I can really understand your statement of being at the highest of highs and then the lowest of lows. Last year my husb lost his job and it took him 5 months to find a new one. So the yearly trip to Disney was postponed to this year. But we received a great blessing with his new job which he has now been at a year. And so, we were able to go on the Disneyland trip of a lifetime just 2 weeks ago! We stayed at the DLH and used the Monorail exclusively to travel to the park. Who would have thought that things could turn around so much in 2 years?

    So here's my thought for those enduring tough times this year and who may or may not be able to afford a trip. The fortunes of life are fickle. Sometimes we need the smiles a trip can bring, and sometimes we need to wait and realize that when we finally go our trip will be even more special and spectacular.
    I wish the very best for everyone making these tough decisions over the holiday season.
    GnP


  4. #3

    Thanks for sharing with us all. This year has been a rough one too. We were unable to go this year. For sure next Fall.

    God is good to us and has provided all we need everyday. His Grace and Mercies are New every morning.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.


  5. #4

    We will be there at the same time, this is also a dream vacation for us I hope that you all have a wonderful time you sound so blessed to have such a family support! My mother is also making our trip possible by housesitting, when my husband lost his hours at work thus taking a huge pay cut I was going to stay home to save the close to a $1000 for a house sitter and dog walker that we could not afford - my mom stepped in/up. I love my parents as I am sure you must. I am sure we will do the same for our children but isn't it humbling to have it done for us? Enjoy!!!

     

  6. #5
    "Just keep swimming"
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Phoenix AZ

    When my husband was growing up he remembers going to Disneyland every time his Dad got laid off (I think it totaled about 4 or 5 times). They joked that it was their family tradition. When my father-in-law got laid off again 2 years ago, the Disneyland trip came shortly after. (He has been fortunate that God has always had a plan for him, and a new job.) Now they take all the kids, and grandkids (10 total), every other year using their DVC membership for the hotel rooms. It is amazing that we can have such a wonderful family trip that often, and I think of how grateful I am to be married into such a loving and close family. I am definitely going to raise my daughter to be so thankful for her family and everything that they do for us.

    Thanks for the touching story.

    “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” –Alice

  7. #6
    Registered User mousecanuck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Canada's piece of California Kelowna, BC

    My husband got his 'notice' less than 24 hours before we left for our DL trip last year at this time (a week from now). We went anyhow - we'd paid for much of the trip (flights & hotel & tickets) anyhow; just had to pay for meals and incidentals (read: souvenirs). He'd worked for the same company for 17 years (almost 18) and it really threw us for a loop. We didn't tell our kids - 14 yr old daughter would have been worried sick. We did tell them when we got home (that's when we told everyone else, too - we hadn't even had a chance to speak to anyone before we left). We did not sleep well the night before we left and our packing was just a mess (man it was bad!) - we were just emotional and exhausted. It really did take us away from it all and I'm glad we still went (insurance wouldn't have covered the costs we'd already laid out). We didn't discuss things at all on the trip; when we got home we kind of decided hey - absolute worse cases scenario we loose our house, right? Life goes on - we're healthy, we have awesome kids - we'll get through it.

    And Disneyland is a pretty darn good distraction!!! We did hold back a bit on 'stuff' we bought (we only get there every few years - it'll probably be at least three more before we get to go again as we have another trip we'd like to do with his parents & sister in between - actually I'd just as soon do Disney but have been over-ruled ; ). Many of the things we did buy were CHristmas presents that we would have purchased at home anyhow. And we still did breakfast with Minnie (worth every penny). He's working again (four months off) and recently got a job in our City (he was out of town a lot which really stank) so life is good. I hope everythng works out for you, too. The economy is getting better, slowly. Enjoy every second, take lots of pictures and have some much-deserved fun!!!

    “I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be is a happy place, where parents and children can have fun, together.” - Walt Disney

    And we do!!!

  8. #7

    I wanted to thank everyone for posting and sharing their stories. My husband and I are firm believers in everything happens for a reason. The last week had deffinatly been a string of everything happening for a reason. To begin with when we had found out about the lay off I immediatly wanted to cancel our reservations. I knew we would get almost all of the money back and I couldnt justify to myself going when I knew that bills and rent had to be paid and we had no money in savings to draw from. When I got home my husband asked me to wait til morning. When I asked him why he said his mom would figure out something (which meant thinking of people we could ask for the money which we were NOT doing) so at that point I said no I cant have her do that Im just canceling it and he asked me several more times so I put the phone down and told him I was calling first thing in the morning. Less than an hour later is when my mom called to tell me that my dad was pulling money from other places to give to us and made sure we were all there as a family. Needless to say its a good thing I hadnt cancelled. Then the day after my husband noticed internal recruiting positions that were available at Google and being a recruiter he made sure his resume went out to every posting and sure enough they called him yesturday to set up an interview Tuesday for a better position he was in at his previous job. So my fingers are crossed for him but it all leads to the fact that things do happen for a reason and you just need to roll with the punches be strong and have faith and know that your family and who you are is whats important.
    Im so touched that you shared your own experiences as well and hope that anyone who reads the thread can take something from it. Though sometimes it may not make sense to spend money on something like a vacation especially when times are so hard...its the family togetherness and the memories that are made on those trips that are truely priceless and make it worth the sacrifice financially.

    I truely hope everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving and was not only able to share it surrounded by family and friends but were able to realize how fortunate we are to have those people around us. And I invite all of you who have time and stories to share to add them to this thread I think it helps to know that you are not alone in these hard times and that others share your struggles.

    Happy Holidays!!


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