Retired & Tired (Judy)

We will be there, the Good Lord willing.

Sorry Jen.

Ours are on all night too.  Santa would be upset if they were not on.  This is Christmas after all.

17 years ago on December 5, God gave this world a precious, priceless gift.  In May He made sure that gift was given to us.  The doctors asked us to re think bringing her home from the hospital as she would only live a few months.  I said a flat out "no way...I fell in love with her at first sight and she is coming home with us".  And she did.  Well that few months has now been 17 years and as my grandson put it, "and she is still alive".  Alive she is....smiling, laughing, singing, and bringing joy to all who meet her.  She lights up a room by just being there.  She is truly a ray of sunshine on our old lives.  We are so thankful God Blessed us and this world with Kimberly.  I can not imagine our lives without her.
 
I think she was born on the 5th so she and Walt Disney could share their day as they have both brought so much joy to the world.
 
Happy 17th Birthday Princess Kimberly Cheyenne Aleta Hammett.  We love you sweet girl.  You are truly mama's heartbeat.  :wiz:   :bday:     :toot:  :heartsmiley:

I have missed him too.  Lou I am the beautiful, sexy lady you take shopping every December.  (At least that is where everyone thinks we are).
I will do my best to be back on this site more.  It is nice to be missed though.
 
I love you all (especially you Lou.... :jumpforjoy )

Our big man is such a joy to us.  No one believed he would be doing the things he does today....no one except me.  I knew the first time I held that tiny little boy that he would do great things.  He has never disappointed me.   And he does keep me (and Ken) on our toes for sure.   We have to make lists several times a day as he loves to hand us paper and pen and say "we need to make a list" and then he proceeds to tell us what to put on the list.  He already has his list made for the December trip to WDW and of course the one for our July trip to Pigeon Forge/gatlinburg.  His 2nd favorite thing is to ask: "Who drives the Motor Home?"   Then he says "Take both keys?".  Then he tells me he will ride with mama in the white van and Kimberly will ride in the RV with daddy.
 
He helps us cook brownies, cookies, corn bread, pancakes and anything else he might want.  When our granddaughter, Darby, was here for Spring Break he had her baking every day all day.   We had supcakes and brownies coming out of our ears.  But they had a good time and she is very patient with him.
 
He was honored at the end of the year for making the A B Honor roll first semester.  They do not list the ones for 2nd semester...not sure why.
 
Of course Kimberly just sits in her wheel chair and laughs at him and us.  She enjoys life. She was student of the month for May and was honored at a special breakfast.  When her teacher introduced her she said that Kimberly was actually her student of the year. We are all going to miss that school next year.  They all loved Kimberly so much and she loved them.
 
Time to get the dog to bed and I will lie down and watch TV while I am on night duty with the little man.  Nite nite everyone.

Happy Happy Birthday Mo.......Love you girl.  :toot:  :bday:  :wiz:  

The Golf Cart Parade has taken place at 4 pm on Christmas Eve for the past couple years, maybe even longer.  They also judge the sites and the cabins later that night and the winners are usually posted at the comfort stations or the bike barn.   

We have had to book our 4 week stay in 2 and even 3 reservations from time to time.  Our travel agent handled it all for us.  All we had to do was go to the front desk on the check out day and they would allow us to stay in the same site and they gave us new cards, etc.  Then when the day came to checkout on that one, we did the same thing again and never had to move even once.
 
The suggestion to book at least a year out is almost necessary now.  And booking for longer than you are going to stay is the way to go.  You can cancel part of it later or even when you get to the fort.
 
Good luck and God Bless You.    We will be there from December 9 to January 5th.

I have always loved the fact that Disney welcomed the Make A Wish & GKTW children a chance to go to the front of the line or through the exit.  However, we have brought children with us who were terminally ill but we did not get a wish from the foundations so we were left on our own to tray and help them, and all our children, enjoy as much as they can at Disney.
 
Even Shawnee and Kimberly can not stay in the parks more than 2 or 3 hours.  If we have to wait 1 hour for one ride and then get another pass and wait another hour or two, our family will no longer be able to enjoy Disney.  Not to mention that they can only ride 4 or 5 (maybe) rides since we can not lift them out of their chairs.   Both of them have seizures and very hot weather could bring on one. Our newest little one is so very, very fragile.  How much he can see we don't know but we are doing everything possible to have him go with us in December, if we still get to go.  (Paying for the repairs on the old motor home before turning it over to my daughter was too much but it had to be done).  He deserves a chance to enjoy what he can.  Can we keep him in the parks all day...NO WAY.....
 
Anyway, we will see how things go when we next visit Disney.   It is so sad that a few people can ruin everything for these special children.

Had to look that one up.

Hell, I looked it up and still don't know if its a good thing or bad thing, I know Kathy has read all or most of the books

See, Lou, thats why I'm here! Dont you feel more complete now? Basically it boils down to "folks who believe in 'the rapture'", which is the central theme of the series. The other main views are postmillennialists and amillennialists. The rapture view is held mostly by Baptists and Pentecostals, mostly.
I particularly enjoyed the dramatized audiobook series, myself.

So you're saying that you're here to confuse us. I hate to tell you, that's not difficult to do.
As for feeling complete, knowing what postmillennialists means, has fulfilled me to no end.

Are you sure that your mom can't buy tickets? Below is taken from the announcement. See section in red. Details:ON-SITE SALES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 29, 2013Military personnel must present a valid U.S. Military ID (active or retired). Activated members of the National Guard or Reservists must present a valid U.S. Military ID. Sales locations should refer to the U.S. Military ID Guide posted on TOD 2.0 for verification.  Military personnel can purchase 4-Day Disney Military Promotion tickets any time during the offer period for themselves and up to 5 family members and/or friends. To purchase these tickets, military personnel must present a valid U.S. Military ID (active or retired).  Sales locations should refer to the U.S. Military ID Guide posted on TOD 2.0 for verification.  If active members of the U.S. Military are unable to visit the Walt Disney World® Resort during the offer period, their spouses may purchase the 4-Day Disney Military Promotion Tickets during this period for up to five (5) family members and/or friends (including the spouse).  Unaccompanied spouses purchasing the 4-Day Disney Military Promotion Tickets must present a valid and active U.S. Military ID. Spouses of activated members of the National Guard or Reservists must present a valid U.S. Military ID.  Exceptions should only be made for immediate families larger than five people. For example, if a family has six children, please allow all members of the family to purchase 4-Day Disney Military Promotion Tickets. Parking is not included. 
 

If it is done tastefully, I don't see why a pup and a MH can't coincide on a pad.  However, I do realize there is a FL law on the books that has been decided now to be enforced on property.  This is fine and if needed, I will gladly pay for the extra site.  However, as mentioned, the prices at the Fort have become WAY out of line on the whole and as long as there is a rule of 10 people per site, people will try to find a way to use that to help them save a couple of pennies here and there.  Personally, I bought a pup after we had a MH (we started out with a pup and worked our way to the MH) because our son is outgrowing the space we have for him in the MH.  We don't plan on getting another MH, so the pup seemed like a good idea at the time.  We got a good deal on one, put a little money into it and now it is a fine addition to our "fleet."  It actually works out for us now because we are farther away from the Fort and if diesel is too expensive, we drive down and pick up the pup from storage and use it instead of the MH and use the MH for local trips.  I guess it is all in how you see it really.  We took a "negative" in the Fort now enforcing the FL law and turned it into a positive.  I wouldn't sell the pup for the world.  It really has come in handy and I will be more than happy to pay for that extra site if needed in the future for extra family and friends to stay, just because it is camping and fellowship and not staying in a hotel with people yelling and screaming up and down the halls.

Actually it's quite simple. I have two names, my given name, which I never use and a name kinda, sorta, based on that name which was given to me by US Immigration.
They don't change names anymore as the PC police would jump all over it, but I take no offense and am grateful that they did change it. I'm convinced that it kept some doors open for me during my career building years. It removed the preconception that goes along with being ethnic. The fact that I lost my accent early on also helped.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of my heritage and go back whenever I can, but there is a time and place for everything. If you live here permanently, become a citizen, acclimate, and be an American first.

We have traveled for many years with our special kids, and this would have been nearly impossible without a MH (or other RV).  We have added a chairlift to the side near the door to move the kids from their ground level wheelchairs to the floor level of the the MH.  We have added an Add-A-Room for sheltering the chairs and for any overnight visitors we may have.  We tow an enclosed trailer to carry a golf cart for mobility around the Fort.  The trailer is also handy for carrying a rack of oxygen tanks, cases of diapers, liners, wipes, formula and baby food, and the necessary obnoxious Christmas inflatable decorations.  :rofl3:   Most of our travel has been annual trips to WDW, with some shorter trips to the Dollywood area in TN.
 
As Judy mentioned above, we currently have four kids (DS17, DD15, FS14mo, and FD5mo), but we have taken five to the Fort in the past, probably when we were younger and crazier.  Four wheelchairs+ are not easy for two people to push, but we managed.
 
All this said, we would not consider visiting WDW (or other location) without our MH and other paraphenalia. 
 
Although some loops share comfort stations, most site are releatively close to one.  You should include the desire to be near a CS in your reservation.  Everyy CS consists of a men's restroom, a women's restroom, and a laundry.  There are several shower stalls in each section, including an accessible stall, which is larger than the standard stall for maneuvering a chair.  The laundry has (I believe) five washers and six dryers, each of which eats eight quarters per load.  There is a change machine which will change a $1 or $5 USD into quarters.  We collect quarters all year for the occasion.  There is also an ice machine outside one end of the CS with bags furnished.  The ice machine also eats 8 quarters a bag.  Ice is also available from either of two Trading Posts (one at the Meadows (mid-campground) and the Settlement (near the Marina).  I understand the bags are biggers and the ice is colder, and therefore lasts longer. 
 
I don't know if you have any special food requirements, but the GAG is a popular fried chicken dinner for take-out from the Trails End resturant in the Settlement.
 
There is a bus depot near the Settlement and another at the Outpost (where you checked in).  Busses to all parks except MK leave from the Outpost.  MK is accessed by boat from the Marina.  Boats from the left side of the dock can handle wheelchairs.  We also go to Epcot by boat to MK, Ferry to the TTC, and monorail to EPCOT.  This is at least in part due to the desires of our 17 year old.
 
Enough for now.  Ask any other questions you may have.  And I appreciate the support shown by other members of this panel for my wife and me.  We do what we can for our children.

Welcome.  :welcome2:   I am sorry for not posting earlier but we are on vacation in Tn. and never seem to stop until after midnight.  Right now it is 1:23 am.  I typed a long answer a few nights ago and it would not post so I gave up.  We have adopted 5 children with special needs, medically fragile but 3 of them have gone to Heaven.  I always say they traded their wheel chairs for Angel wings.  We were in the process of adopting another 1 year old when he suddenly passed away.  We usually take those who are very, very fragile.  Our two are now 15 and 17.  One came into the world at 23 weeks weighing 21 ounces and now weighs about 170 pounds and is on no medical equipment except his wheel chair which he propels on his own.  Our daughter arrived in this world at 26 weeks weighing 2 1/2 pounds and she is the most fragile of the 2.  They both have CP and Seizures and she has Hydrocephalus, Microcephaly, is G Tube fed, has sleep apnea and needs oxygen from time to time.  We adore them and are so thankful God chose us to be their forever parents.  I have fostered 55 children thus far.  We are hoping to adopt the 5 month old we have now and perhaps a little 11 month old we just found out about. Yep, still going strong at 70 and 72.
 
Visiting Disney is not a handicap with children who have special needs.  They are only a few rides they can enjoy unless they are still small enough for you to left them out of their chairs and onto the rides.   They can ride, in their chairs, Small World, Ariel's Ride, Jungle Cruise, Great Movie Ride, The Back Lot Tour, Nemo's Ride, Living with the Land and the Carousel of Progress.   However some of those only have a place for one wheel chair at a time so you will have to ride several times.
 
When you first get to the world, go to the Magic Kingdom and get an access pass from City Hall.  It will get you help from the hosts at each venue if you need help.  It does not mean you will always be taken to the front of the line but sometimes they will offer to do that.  You will need an access pass for one of the chairs and that can cover a total of 6 people.  So you will need to take 2 children in their chairs in so they can see them and then you will be covered for all of you.  Also be sure to ask for the red tag if any of your chairs do not look like a wheel chair.  We have one so they always tag it.
 
As for transportation....that can be a big problem.  They have some newer buses that accomodate 3 wheel chairs (tie downs) but most of them still only accomodate 2.  Even when we have only 3 we have to take 2 different buses. 
 
Loops 100 and 200 are the closest to the Marina and the Settlement (boats from the Marina will take you to the Magic Kingdom) and they are near the comfort stations and laundry and yes they do have a handicapped accessible bath stall.  Loop 1400 is closest to the Meadows activity area and the trading Post.  Comfort station near by too.  1300 & 1500 are probably the closest to the pools.
 
I hope this is of some help to you.  If you have other questions, please do let us know.   We love Disney are our children just light up when they see WDW.....we do too. 
 
Hope we get to meet your wonderful family sometime.  God Bless You All.

I LOVE boiled peanuts. I am planning to buy some to take with us on our next trip. I now buy the ones in the bags at Wal Mart.
They are great. I take some out and put them a bowl and then re seal the bag (or use a clip) and put in the fridge till the next time I want them. I also buy them in the cans (both size cans) all the time. The bag even tells you how to heat them if you like them warm. I like them cold. Ken can not understand why I like them. I don't know....I just do. But then I like pickled pig feet too. Honest !!
He loves clam dip and clam chowder & I don't so we are even. LOL

We are so sorry for your loss.  Heaven's gain is our loss.  May he RIP with our Lord forever and ever. :pope:

I just had some and they were delicious as always.

Just what every kid wants to hear.
Hey kids we're going to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival where you can eat watermelon salad with pickled red onions?

Happy Birthday T.J. :partythree: :bday: :wiz:

Excuse me while I wipe away the tear. Who am I kidding, what tear? You guys are all losers and I can't stand the bunch of you, especially that guy Bob.
And no, I'm not going to sing Kumbaya with all of you. Fort Fiends, bah, humbug.
Remember when I asked you for your credit card number so I could enter you in a Fort give away, surprise, I lied.