DaveInTN

I'm just a few hours away from being back online for the evening...so this report will be back on track before long! :)

The Beginning

January 16, 2008.

The dead of winter in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The sun rises around 10:00am and sets by 3:00pm. It is a cold and dark day. (How do I know this? They’re ALL cold and dark in Russia! But I digress.) A woman pregnant with her 9th child heads to the hospital to deliver. This in itself is remarkable, as she has aborted the previous 7 pregnancies. But despite prenatal testing indicating this child has Down Syndrome, she carries to term and delivers a baby girl. And, as occurs in 95% of Down Syndrome births in Russia, she abandons the baby to state custody. Another orphan among 700,000 in Russia.

The fact that she was born at all, after her birth mother’s history, is a miracle. Absent logical conclusions, we can only assume that God intended for that child to be ours from the very beginning. He only took a different path for her, maybe to illuminate the situation these children face over there. But regardless, on January 16, 2008, our daughter entered this world.

At two weeks of age, the little girl, named Anastasia Orlova, was sent to live at Baby Home #1on the outskirts of St Petersburg. She lived among several dozen orphans, many of them typically developing kids.



But little Anastasia, or Anna as we named her, wasn’t typical. She has Down Syndrome. And unfortunately, in her society, that makes her worthless. She has no chance of being adopted domestically. No Russian family ever visits or inquires about her. Even her birth mother, who lives in the neighborhood, never once calls to check on her. So she spends her first few years in the only home, and the only neighborhood, she would know up to that point, never venturing beyond the courtyard.





By the time she is 2, she has been identified by Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry as an “at risk” child.



In the Russian orphanage system, children with DS that have not been adopted by age 4 are transferred to mental institutions. They are considered “unadoptable” at that point, and do not do well. Many don’t survive a year in that environment.

And so, it was through Reece’s Rainbow that we learned of Anna. Our future daughter…and future Fiend.

Prior to starting down the path to adoption, we had been visiting the Fort twice a year in our motorhome. And for the last couple trips, we had annual passes. We had a blast! But around the time of what would be our last trip in the MH, in March 2010, God presented a bit of a detour to us. He put the idea of special needs adoption in our hearts. And that process took most of our time (not to mention our money!) for the next 18 months. We sold our motorhome. I honestly wasn’t sure whether there would be any trips to the Fort in the future. But once we made our first trip to Russia and met Anna, I knew that kid was a future Fiend. We are blessed that she is a healthy and happy little girl. And so this past winter we bought a TT and I began planning this trip.

My little girl is a miracle! She is full of life! And throughout our long and difficult process of adopting her, you Fiends were there with us every step of the way. You provided moral support. You showered our older girls with love, cards and gifts when Christy and I had to travel for an extended period to Russia without them. And you have been family to us, sharing in our excitement. That is why, just 10 days after we returned home to the States with Anna, we traveled to Stone Mountain for the Fiend Grand Gathering over Memorial Day weekend. Some people thought we were nuts for traveling so soon. But we wanted to share our joy with our Fiend Family.






 
We had a great weekend at Stone Mountain! But despite all the fun we had, a true Fort Fiend like Anna needs to make the ultimate pilgrimage. A trip to the Fort itself. And so the planning continued, the final details were hammered out, and on the afternoon of November 15th, we pulled out of our driveway to complete the journey of our littlest Fiend.

The Beginning

January 16, 2008.

The dead of winter in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The sun rises around 10:00am and sets by 3:00pm. It is a cold and dark day. (How do I know this? They’re ALL cold and dark in Russia! But I digress.) A woman pregnant with her 9th child heads to the hospital to deliver. This in itself is remarkable, as she has aborted the previous 7 pregnancies. But despite prenatal testing indicating this child has Down Syndrome, she carries to term and delivers a baby girl. And, as occurs in 95% of Down Syndrome births in Russia, she abandons the baby to state custody. Another orphan among 700,000 in Russia.

The fact that she was born at all, after her birth mother’s history, is a miracle. Absent logical conclusions, we can only assume that God intended for that child to be ours from the very beginning. He only took a different path for her, maybe to illuminate the situation these children face over there. But regardless, on January 16, 2008, our daughter entered this world.

At two weeks of age, the little girl, named Anastasia Orlova, was sent to live at Baby Home #1on the outskirts of St Petersburg. She lived among several dozen orphans, many of them typically developing kids.



But little Anastasia, or Anna as we named her, wasn’t typical. She has Down Syndrome. And unfortunately, in her society, that makes her worthless. She has no chance of being adopted domestically. No Russian family ever visits or inquires about her. Even her birth mother, who lives in the neighborhood, never once calls to check on her. So she spends her first few years in the only home, and the only neighborhood, she would know up to that point, never venturing beyond the courtyard.





By the time she is 2, she has been identified by Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry as an “at risk” child.



In the Russian orphanage system, children with DS that have not been adopted by age 4 are transferred to mental institutions. They are considered “unadoptable” at that point, and do not do well. Many don’t survive a year in that environment.

And so, it was through Reece’s Rainbow that we learned of Anna. Our future daughter…and future Fiend.

Prior to starting down the path to adoption, we had been visiting the Fort twice a year in our motorhome. And for the last couple trips, we had annual passes. We had a blast! But around the time of what would be our last trip in the MH, in March 2010, God presented a bit of a detour to us. He put the idea of special needs adoption in our hearts. And that process took most of our time (not to mention our money!) for the next 18 months. We sold our motorhome. I honestly wasn’t sure whether there would be any trips to the Fort in the future. But once we made our first trip to Russia and met Anna, I knew that kid was a future Fiend. We are blessed that she is a healthy and happy little girl. And so this past winter we bought a TT and I began planning this trip.

My little girl is a miracle! She is full of life! And throughout our long and difficult process of adopting her, you Fiends were there with us every step of the way. You provided moral support. You showered our older girls with love, cards and gifts when Christy and I had to travel for an extended period to Russia without them. And you have been family to us, sharing in our excitement. That is why, just 10 days after we returned home to the States with Anna, we traveled to Stone Mountain for the Fiend Grand Gathering over Memorial Day weekend. Some people thought we were nuts for traveling so soon. But we wanted to share our joy with our Fiend Family.






 
We had a great weekend at Stone Mountain! But despite all the fun we had, a true Fort Fiend like Anna needs to make the ultimate pilgrimage. A trip to the Fort itself. And so the planning continued, the final details were hammered out, and on the afternoon of November 15th, we pulled out of our driveway to complete the journey of our littlest Fiend.

These are some of our decorations from last week.

Well, my fine Fiends, it’s time for me to begin this trip report. The DaveInTN gang just got home from spending a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Fort. And what a great trip we had! 10 nights at our favorite place on the planet, beautiful Fort Wilderness. I’m excited to share with you all everything we did, everything we ate, and everyone we visited with. But a word of warning to y’all…we did not plan any park days on this trip. Our plan was to relax, spend time with Fiends, and bring our little Anna to the Fort for the first time. Oh, and to EAT. If you live for park pics, or if you don’t enjoy some good pood forn, this may not be the trip report for you. For those of you with nothing better to do, let’s get going.
But before we get rolling….it is my custom to present headlines in my trip reports; the highlights of our trip that I will build this report around. I also like to keep my readers interested due to the incredibly boring commentary that will unfold on this thread over the next couple of weeks. So, without further adieu, here we go!
In this report, you can expect to read:

The Beginning
Wetlanta
GAG Me With A Fry
I’m A Blessed Man
Now I Have TWO Princesses To Mock
Loop De Doo
Slap That Duck!
My Super Fast Dead Kenny Cart
Is That A Moose??
Ohhhh…..(wait for it)…..HANA!!!!
and, What Do Russia, Costa Rica and Wisconsin Have In Common??

So, where do we begin? At the beginning, of course! Only in this case, the beginning requires us to take a step back in time for a moment. We need to venture a few years into the past before we can make sense of the present. This was a special trip for me. And I'll explain all that in due course. But for now, let's start at the beginning....in the past.
So, if you’re ready, step into the Delorean, buckle up and let’s go! Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas. We’re about to hit 88mph!

Monique's Mo'Fun, Mo'Money, Mo'Fiend, Mo'Punch, Mo'Doggy, Mo'Dole Whip Trip Report!

Monique's Mo'Fun, Mo'Money, Mo'Fiend, Mo'Punch, Mo'Doggy, Mo'Dole Whip Trip Report!

Yes, there's Naughty, Glittery, Stinky, Drunky, Chubby, Rednecky, and of course Snarky.

Some of you may have seen this on FB already, but Anna recently had school pictures taken . We got the proofs on Friday, and burst out laughing at this one. This is SO Anna...she loves hugging people. We can only imagine she wanted to hug the photographer. :rofl2:

Don't feel bad...as some may know based upon my past trip reports, I am NO fan of Marie. On two occasions, we have been in line to see her and had to wait while she went on break. Both times when she returned, she smelled like kitty litter and cigarettes.

You should start a thread about the wheels on the bus.
I hear they go round and round.

You should start a thread about the wheels on the bus.
I hear they go round and round.

Did you remove the vent filter and soak it? That could be holding in some odors.
Once you are sure everything is cleaned, fabreeze all soft surfaces, and then place a bowl of charcoal on the counter. Baking soda also works. They absorb odors.
If that doesn't work, give me a call. For a small fee I can replace your bacon odor. Can't eliminate it, but I'll leave something else in its place.

Happy Birthday Andrew!
I don't care if he is personable or not...that new Six Bits looks just wrong to me. He's so wrong that he's not even Bix Sits. From here on out, I am referring to him at Dip Shits.

My dream evening would be riding Small World and CoP, then taking the monorail to the CR to catch the EWP while enjoying a couple beers.
How do you like that, Lou?? FREE MELVIN!!!
:)

No!!! It can't be over...I just got here!
I know, late to the party. Story of my life. I am SO behind on trip reports, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this one. Can't believe it's over though. But seriously, you are 90 freakin minutes away from the Fort, so go back and write another one!
And, what's with the banana?? :rofl2: I really have no comment. None. Really.
But I will comment on the crack. Crack kills, ya know. That dude needs to hike em up. Plain and simple. Disgusting slob.
Ok, that is all.

No!!! It can't be over...I just got here!
I know, late to the party. Story of my life. I am SO behind on trip reports, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this one. Can't believe it's over though. But seriously, you are 90 freakin minutes away from the Fort, so go back and write another one!
And, what's with the banana?? :rofl2: I really have no comment. None. Really.
But I will comment on the crack. Crack kills, ya know. That dude needs to hike em up. Plain and simple. Disgusting slob.
Ok, that is all.

Columbia Harbour House to me is not a Grilled salmon with couscous kinda place. I always think of it as an old seaside inn from early American days. Hence it's location around Liberty Square. Fish, clam chowder...I even get the lobster roll bit. Not that those were common foods of the Revolutionary days, but at least they fit the region.
But salmon and couscous?? I can't picture John Adams and Paul Revere sitting around a Boston tavern debating the merits of succession over plates of couscous. But maybe it's just me...

That would be horrible! All that hot air would fuel it into the storm of the century.

Kathy has me loading so much food you would think we were staying out in the middle of nowhere for a month or feeding an army.

Wow, who knew 1300 was the Fort's own red light district? Like our very own "Down"-town Disney.
Maybe it should be renamed Humdinger Hollow. :rofl2:

Like others, we've done Fort trips without doing parks, and I remember those as my favorite trips. More relaxing, we take time to visit the other resorts and walk around, we ride the monorail and grab a drink at the Poly, we go to the WL for lunch, we hit DTD for an evening....and most importantly we enjoy all that the Fort has to offer! Rent a canoe, fish, ride bikes, ride the boats, look around the trading posts, ride the ponies, check out the barns, visit with the blacksmith, loop, check out decorations...the list goes on and on! :banana:
I don't think you could possibly get bored there in a couple of weeks. I think you could get relaxed, but not bored.

We really enjoyed our meal at the Plaza a year or so ago. 
These aren't the best pics because we were sharing things, so this isn't how our plates came out.  This shows part of a club, part of a tuna on croissant, and some fries.  I think the fries are some of the best at Disney...nice and crispy!

Here is a brownie sundae.