Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Our trip begins four years ago we were told our daughter Bethanie should never been born. She has a very rare genetic disorder shared by only 20 other people in the world. The fact that she did survive was a miracle, but what she would be capable of no one knew. At the age of 3 months she had a trach placed in her neck due to severe tracheomalacia and a g-tube placed in her side because she aspirated when she ate. She also had very weak muscle tone and was delayed in her mobility. Our lives came to a halt and everything revolved around keeping Bethanie alive. A few months after her second birthday we began seeing signs that Bethanie was not going to let her issues keep her down. It was during this time that we told our children that once Bethanie was “medically free”, meaning free of all plastic devices, we would celebrate with a trip to Disney. What I didn't expect was how quickly she would progress. Within just a few short months she was walking, trach free and g-tube free. Her progress was amazing to us and her therapist, we were going to DISNEY!!! Okay so not exactly, there was planning to do and money to be saved. My goal was to celebrate Bethanie's 4th birthday at the Fort and time was passing quickly by.First we sold our pup and bought Birdie, our Jayco TT. Next my husband found Fort Fiends and I found my people. Finally folks who were as obsessed as I was with all things Disney, I jumped in with both feet. Reservations were made, tickets bought and before I knew it we were within weeks of leaving for the most magical place on earth. Anyone who has children knows the craziness that comes over children as trips approach. The night before a trip my children will not sleep and lose their ever-loving-minds. My solution, set the countdown calender back a few days and surprise them with an early leave. We would only be able to pull this off once, so we made the most of it. We were set to leave Friday morning but my husband couldn't wait anymore and suggested we leave Thursday afternoon, sounds good to me. Thursday morning we placed cards at each child’s seat. On each card we had written numbers that corresponded with letters of the alphabet. Once the first child saw the cards the alarm was sounded and children came out of the wood work. We told them that they had to work together to solve the clue. They could, as a group, ask for three clues. Excitement filled the air as they began to break the code. Honestly it took them much longer than we expected and some were into it more than others but finally they had decoded WE ARE LEAVING FOR DISNEY. Yeah okay mom and Dad we already knew this. The two youngest members of the family held the final word, TODAY. It took a second for it to all soak in when my oldest daughter shouts out “we're leaving for Disney today!?!? Yup get your stuff together and head to the van. The rush of chaos was well, chaotic but before long we were all loaded up and pulling out of the drive. Next stop… a few miles down the rode? Kudos to first follower! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm the first follower! Great start! I'm anxious to hear how Bethanie is doing today. We had a grandchild born with a mild variant of Dandy Walker Syndrome. In his first months he endured several surgeries, including a Nissen fundoplication and insertion of a G-tube. He spent months in pediatric intensive care with situations he logically shouldn't have survived. Thankfully his mother is a NICU nurse and was able to handle his medical issues. These children are wonderful examples of God's miracles and His love for us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Awesome! First??!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Cool way to start a trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parrothead7368 aka Norm 101 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm in! I had no idea how special of a trip this was! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 What an amazing story. I'm so happy to hear your little one is doing so well. Oh & great start to your TR. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Memphis 105 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm in.. Great start to the trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm in! Love that she is doing so well! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Have a great trip. Can't wait for the rest of the report. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm in and like Beckers... I had NO idea how special this trip was!! Your family is BEAUTIFUL!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm in on page 1! Beautiful family photo in the van. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmarz 72 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Have fun! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DramaMama .......... Janet 75 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm in!!! Page 1??? Can't wait to hear more. What a good looking family! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 And first place goes to Gwen! :yay: She beat ya Carol by 2 minutes :argh: . Thanks to all for your kind words. I think my family is pretty awesome as well. Let us move forward shall we? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 So here we were cruising down the road and I was a nervous wreck. Our back end was wagging so bad that my husband was struggling to keep B.E.V (Big Enormous Van) and Birdie on the road. I was ready to call the trip and head home, and spending an extra thousand on a Fort rental sounded really good. We finally pulled off a few miles from home and tightened the sway bars. When we got back on the road, the sway was better but our tail was still really wagging. Disney or Bust right? To take my mind off the sway we voted in favor of listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. We rented it from the library and were very pleased with the narration. The audio version is excellent and all were captivated, that is until the window decided to roll down on its own. With one hand holding up the window and the other trying to keep B & B on the road my prince guided us safely off the interstate and into a parking lot. Stop 2 for those keeping track. We were now and hour and a half from home. While he fixed the window with Mr. Duct Tape, I took the opportunity to feed the baby and take the others on a quick potty break. Back on the road once more we switched entertainment to a movie. The previous week I bought a ceiling mount DVD player for the van. The install was easy enough but the sound was terrible on the road. This didn't seem to bother the children and we all settled in for the next few hours. Our first planned stop was Horse Cave, KY for gas and then to overnight in Manchester, TN. We were off schedule and the stress of keeping B & B on the road meant an early stop around Mammoth Cave. I checked my handy dandy traveling app, Allstays Camp and RV. (Seriously, if you don't have this app get it. It costs $10 but is totally worth the price.) I found a campground up ahead and called to reserve a spot. One problem, there was no answer. I tried again with the same results. Odd. So I read the reviews of this campground a little closer and found that there was a Yogi Bear Jellystone campground a few exits away. I called and we pulled into our site just a bit later. My husband and I were totally geeking out. We had both always wanted to stay at a Yogi Bear campground since we were kids and it was finally happening. Rated one of the top 10 family campgrounds in the US, the grounds were beautiful and the comfort stations clean. Sadly we had to pull out early the next morning and didn't have time to enjoy all the activities they have to offer, but it's on our To Do list in the future. So if ya'll are traveling trough KY and want a fun stay check it out. On to day two, September 25. The tail was still wagging and BEV would be tested as we head over the mountains. Many of you know that our transmission blew at the end of July. The mechanic quoted us $2800 for a rebuild. We searched high and low for a lower price but came up empty. With the trip quickly approaching my prince set up shop in the basement and rebuilt the transmission himself. The man amazes me with what he can do. Oddly enough as he went through, part by part, he never saw any sign of damage. There was a seal that looked a little worn but nothing major. Odd you say? We'll come back to this later. So here we are day two and Mount Eagle in front of us. Up until now we had seen no signs of leaking and felt all was good to go. Up and over just like the little engine that could. I think I can . . . I think I can . . . With all cheering her on BEV pulled Birdie up and over and before we knew it we were through Chattanooga and on our way towards Atlanta. Not wanting to put too much more stress on the transmission and being exhausted from the wagging dog behind us we pulled over at the KOA in Cartersville,GA for the night. Not much to say about this campground other than it was easy on and off, a bit pricy and not exactly quiet due to it's proximity to the interstate. A little white noise and we slept like babies. That night we decided to take advantage of the full hook up and laundry. It meant a late pull out time, but it was worth it in the end. I cooked up some chili dogs, we watched a little Animal Planet and headed to bed. Up early Saturday morning we headed through Atlanta without any trouble, well almost. There was a close call when we were passed on both sides by two racing semi-trucks. Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled down. I really have to give a shout out to Georgia and their roads. Nice and smooth and wide. Before we knew it we were heading into Florida. Originally we were supposed to stop over in Lake City, but glancing at the time we saw it was still early. Dare we press on? Disney or Bust! So onward we go. On a whim I decided to call Disney to see if we could check in a day early. To my surprise there was availability. We had to camp for the night somewhere, so why not spend a bit more and stay at the Fort, right? Warning, GPS will take you the back way into the Fort. This is fine if you know what your doing. We however did not. So we were those people who took the bus entrance and held up traffic as we figured out how to get the gate arm to raise. In our defense it was dark and our first time there. Major fail but all worked out and a very helpful CM got us all checked in and off to the 900 loop we went. Coming up, A leaky night and some one turns 4. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Wow! What a trip down you had! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parrothead7368 aka Norm 101 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Actually, we are planning a trip to Kentucky Speedway in two years and also my wife wants to go to Mammoth Caves and she wants to stay at a Jellystone Park one of these days as well, sooooooooo thanks for the recommendation. Best Regards,Norm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Actually, we are planning a trip to Kentucky Speedway in two years and also my wife wants to go to Mammoth Caves and she wants to stay at a Jellystone Park one of these days as well, sooooooooo thanks for the recommendation.Best Regards,NormMake sure to check out the gift shop. Truth be told , the main reason my husband wanted to get on the road early was to avoid me in the gift store. Fail on him and I missed out on a Yogi T-shirt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Seals 111 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Wow, what a trip just to get there! I'm in awe at your adventurous spirit. Looking forward to seeing more photos of your beautiful family enjoying WDW. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm in! Great start. :) Your family is beautiful. And lying about departure day is freaking brilliant! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I'm in! Great start. :) Your family is beautiful. And lying about departure day is freaking brilliant!Actually I never lied just stretched the truth a bit ; 0). I told them we would be at Disney on the 27th. They never asked how long it would take to get there lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I am in. Sadly not page one, but I do get bragging rights for being the first fiend to meet your family. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Actually I never lied just stretched the truth a bit ; 0). I told them we would be at Disney on the 27th. They never asked how long it would take to get there lol. Oh, I'll happily lie! :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Oh, I'll happily lie! :D Lie... and bribe. Yep, I'm on of "those" parents Actually I never lied just stretched the truth a bit ; 0). I told them we would be at Disney on the 27th. They never asked how long it would take to get there lol. Haha... that's funny :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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