Month: March 2008

Well I guess they call it Magic Kingdom for a reason! We were on Peter’s Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World last week and it was, well, magical. I wouldn’t classify it as a relaxing family vacation but it was so much fun! The kids deserved every minute of it, and that alone was priceless!
Our trip actually began with a nights’ stay at the waterpark hotel in Bloomington where the kids had a blast! A limo picked us up early the next morning and brought us to the airport where we were escorted onto the plane so Peter could go in the cockpit and meet the pilots, see the view from there and take a few pictures. Once in Orlando, we were met by a Make-A-Wish volunteer who helped us get our luggage and into the rental car they had reserved for us. A short drive later we arrived at “Give Kids the World Village’ and boy, that is exactly what they do! I can’t say enough about the accommodations, the hospitality and volunteers (over 1,000 every week!), and the fun they have in store for the whole family! After a little mini golf, a train ride, the remote control boats, it was over to the Ice Cream Shop which is open daily from 7am-9pm! Need I say we tried out the product a few times? They serve 3 meals every day, there’s a carousel outside the “Castle of Miracles”, a “Gingerbread House”, “House of Hearts”, a theater, and on and on… we could have told the kids that was Disney World and they would have been happy!
It would be hard to recap the entire week in one short post, but we went to Disney 3 days (Magic Kingdom for 2 and Animal Kingdom for 1), Sea World and Universal Studios. We spent the last day at Wet ‘n Wild which the kids loved too!
We were joined by Troy, Macer, Grace & Lily and Grandma Mary for the first 2 days, and Grandpa & Grandma Hanson for the next 3. I think everyone agrees the trip could not have been any more fun! The kids were so good (not waiting in any lines doesn’t hurt). Peter thoroughly enjoyed being the “big boy” with his little sisters and cousins. It was very cute how he took the lead to help them meet princesses, go to the next ride or whatever. We were amazed at Peter’s energy. Had we taken this trip 1 year ago when we had originally planned it would have been a very different experience. He has come a long way!
There are many to thank for making this trip a reality. Make-A-Wish Minnesota (especially Molly, our Wish Coordinator!), the Central MN Choppers (bike club who raised funds for Peter’s wish), Give Kids the World Village and all the volunteers. I know I am forgetting many. Since I don’t write often, I probably haven’t done a sufficient job of thanking people since this journey began in August of 2006. Life was a bit too overwhelming to keep up on “thank you notes” which I have felt bad about since the very beginning!! Please know that your support, prayers, gifts, generosity of time and resources does not, and has not, gone unnoticed or appreciated. We talk often (daily?!) about how lucky we are and the unbelievable support system we have…we will never forget. Thank You from the bottom of our hearts!