From Moscow to Mickey – My Little Girl’s Journey to the Fort (DaveInTN and Family Spend Thanksgiving With The Fiends!)

[mrstnbob 39]

If anyone wants to check out the website for the adoption ministry here is the link...www.reecesrainbow.org

[mrstnbob 39]

If anyone wants to check out the website for the adoption ministry here is the link...www.reecesrainbow.org

Oh well link didn't work but that is the address.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Focus! How can I focus, when you not only post a picture of a squirrel, but one with a mouthful of nuts!

You're killing me Cherie! :rofl2:

I am not officially jealous of TCD! I want Anna hugs! Those waffles do look good! Can't wait for TITWIT!

Waffles and hugs...those are some of the most comforting words in the English language.

:rofl2:

WOW, yall are having a great time!!!!

Yep!

That is an AWESOME update Dave!!! Wonderful breakfast, Anna hugs, and family playin on the playground!!! It doesn't get better than that!!!!

I agree!

Such a fun dude...no wonder we laugh all the time.

Are you laughing at me or with me? :hah:

Ok I LOVE ANNA HUGS

Dave all the good stuff if over! We all saw great picutres of you and your BEAUTIFUL GIRLS.

So don't u want to END THIS TR NOW

Ok Lorna. Let's declare this trip report officially OVER.

Well, after just a couple more updates. :rofl3:

Now on to the post -

1. I want Anna hugs.

2. I want chocolate chip mickey pancakes

3. I want Anna hugs.

4. TCD is hogging all the pixie dust/disney magic.

5. There are never enough playground pictures... except for THAT one.

6. I want Anna hugs.

7. You should catch those ducks...

8. did I mention I want Anna hugs?

Am I to assume you want a hug from Anna?

I want Anna hugs too! I do not want choco chip waffles. That's so last year.

On the other hand... the wilderness waffles were to die for. :heart:

and yes, I can say that with a hand on hip while snapping my fingers too... :rofl2:

:rofl2:

I love this picture!! That's 2 of the cutest fiends I've ever seen. :heart: I have to admit I'm jealous on both of their ends.

The waffle pictures have me starving now. Yum!!

Your picture at the playground did not give me nightmares, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Your family is lucky to have you!

Bring on the Lorna pics!!!

Before making a statement that my family is lucky to have me, you should talk with INC.

TITWIT pics should be coming up later this evening....

I like that picture too. The both looked pleased as bunch to be just were they are. Stef, you might need to watch that Anna. Looks like she's trying to push you to the side.....

Anna is a charmer. Stef should be worried.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Am I to assume you want a hug from Anna?

Anna is a charmer. Stef should be worried.

No need to assume... I will state it again, just in case you missed it. I want hugs from Anna.

I knew Stef should be worried. Next time Anna will win over Lou, Nate, and Trevor.... and be so stinking cute when she does it that Stef won't be able to do a thing about it.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I love this photo too!:

And, if you would all indulge me for just a moment, I would like to give my side of this story.

I, of course, knew that Dave, Christy and their family had adopted Anna earlier this year.

And, from that story, I knew that Anna had spent her life to that point in an orphanage.

In Russia.

From what little I know about these kinds of things, I know that we have no idea what that child had been through up to that point in her life.

I also know, that if Dave and Christy had not gone to the lengths they did to adopt Anna, she would probably spend the rest of her life in a not-so-nice institution in Russia.

So, when I finally got a chance to meet her, I expected her to be shy and withdrawn.

Boy, was I surprised.

This little girl was so open and outgoing that it totally surprised me.

As far as I know, she doesn't talk much, but when she saw me, she held out her arms wide open and had a giant smile on her face!

She didn't know me from Adam, but this girl apparently trusts and loves everybody.

That is a testament to Dave and his family.

And, boy can that little girl hug!

When I tried to give her back to Dave, she hugged me tighter.

She was obviously pulling Dave's chain.

He told her that he had to keep her, because he promised the Russian judge that he would.

She reluctantly let go of my neck and went back to Dad.

This little meeting had a big impact on me.

I don't think I will ever forget this.

I am a firm believer that it is in giving that we receive.

And, I have no doubt at all that Dave, Christy, and all of their wonderful daughters have been an unbelievable blessing to sweet little Anna, but she is even a bigger blessing to them.

I have to say, this was the highlight of my trip.

And maybe my year.

Dave, Christy and their girls are what folks in the South call good people!

TCD

Thank you Andrew! I'm glad you added to the encounter...and I'm so happy that it was important to you. That means a great deal to me! It was a special moment, and she certainly saw something in you she liked. It was one thing to have her go to you and give you hugs at your campsite. But I'm not kidding about how she made a beeline to you when you stopped by our site later. That kid likes TCD! For sure.

And you are right about her being a blessing to us. I mentioned at the beginning of this report how she was considered a "throw away" in her old country. They consider her and other disabled individuals to be "imperfect". While I believe we are all imperfect, of all of God's human creations, she is about as close to perfect as it gets. She doesn't judge. She doesn't hurt anyone's feelings. She just loves others and loves life. And to me, that sounds like a perfect way to live.

AMEN!!!!!

Aww, thanks Carol!

Aw, TCD, you sure know how to make a fiend cry!

Yes, he does.

I agree with all you said but the look on your face is something to see. It is surprise, joy, appreciation and the face of a parent whose children are no longer toddlers enjoying some of the precious baby love they no longer get from their own. It really is a very beautiful photo and it really speaks.

:)

You are right on the money on all of that!

I actually told the TCD twins that I want to get me a Russian baby.

TCD

That would be a very lucky Russian baby.

I am sure they agreed it was an excellent idea...right?

I bet so!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Dave, just a few comments as I've got about 3 seconds before Izzy puts more dog food in the fish tank..

I think TE Pizza is awesome, but I have never had one prior to several frozen concoctions so my judgement could be blurred a bit..

Those waffles from WL are calling my name.. I literally just wrote myself a post it note to remember to move that to the top of my todo list for our next trip (whenever that maybe, but I'm ALWAYS planning)

The picture of you at the playground, that looks like it might have caused you a little pain the next day. I hope everything is where it's suppose to be and healing well (assuming injury pursued..)

I can't even talk about the Anna and TCD picture, I don't have time to cry at the moment..

off to clean the fish tank..

Do fish like dog food? I had no idea.

No injuries were sustained from my playground antics. Although I drank enough beer that evening to kill any pain.

If anyone wants to check out the website for the adoption ministry here is the link...www.reecesrainbow.org

That's the one! Thank you Kathy...and here is the link: http://www.reecesrainbow.org

No need to assume... I will state it again, just in case you missed it. I want hugs from Anna.

I knew Stef should be worried. Next time Anna will win over Lou, Nate, and Trevor.... and be so stinking cute when she does it that Stef won't be able to do a thing about it.

Ok, I understand. Nicki wants hugs from Anna. We gotta make that happen.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Ok, I understand. Nicki wants hugs from Anna. We gotta make that happen.

I'll hold you to that one.

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

That's the one! Thank you Kathy...and here is the link: http://www.reecesrainbow.org

Thanks to both of you for posting this link. I have a special interest in doing whatever I can to help families blessed by DS.

I've seen lots from Kennedy Krieger and NDSC but never heard of reecesrainbow before. What a wonderful resource - and at a perfect time to donate!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Thanks to both of you for posting this link. I have a special interest in doing whatever I can to help families blessed by DS.

I've seen lots from Kennedy Krieger and NDSC but never heard of reecesrainbow before. What a wonderful resource - and at a perfect time to donate!

Yes, the Christmas Angel Tree program is their big annual push to raise funds for each of the waiting kids which will help adopting parents offset some of the expense. Reece's Rainbow is a great organization that has done so much....and I can tell you that every dollar donated to a waiting child will get to the prospective parents once they finalize their court date and win custody. RR takes no admin fees from donations. There are not many non-profits that can say that.

[mrstnbob 39]

Anytime I can spread the word about Reece's Rainbow, I will. If I can help just one more child find their forever family, I will. Spread the word about Reece's Rainbow, let everyone know about the work they do. If just one more child can be saved from a life in an institution, I will do whatever I can.

[mrstnbob 39]

Anytime I can spread the word about Reece's Rainbow, I will. If I can help just one more child find their forever family, I will. Spread the word about Reece's Rainbow, let everyone know about the work they do. If just one more child can be saved from a life in an institution, I will do whatever I can.

I guess you could call that a hijack.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I guess you could call that a hijack.

Best hijack ever, Kathy!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

What Do Russia, Costa Rica and Wisconsin Have In Common??

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the Fort

All the golf carts were parked, and the boats were in port.

The blowups were in place, and plugged in with care

In hopes that some Fiends soon would be there.

The beers were nestled all snug in the fridge

The word went out, across the Meadows bridge,

The 500 loop is the place to start

Walk, ride your bikes, or drive your golf cart,

Fiends came from motorhomes, trailers and pups,

They all came together, with red solo cups

When what to our wondering eyes should appear?

It's Russian, Costa Rican, and Wisconsin Beer!!

_________________________________________________________________

We have arrived at Wednesday evening....the night before Thanksgiving.

The Fort was fully decorated by this time.

The decorations at the Settlement, including the Christmas Tree, went up the past weekend. But the tree was not lit until tonight. So as of this time, the Fort and all of its happy camper inhabitants were fully in the holiday mood.

And I don't know about you, but this Fiend likes to celebrate the holidays with some beer.

And I prefer to drink my beer with Fiends.

So, on the night before Thanksgiving, we convened for our first ever Turkeys In The World Intoxication Tour....or TITWIT.

And I can't speak for all the Fiends, but this Fiend had a great time!

We had three Fiend families that played host...and other Fiends brought special drinks along as well.

We started at our site, where I had a variety of Russian beers for everyone to sample.

Those are 4 different varieties brewed by Baltika breweries of St Petersburg. Baltika has a very original method for identifying their beers...they number them. For TITWIT, we tried Baltika 3, 5, 7 and 8. Our fridge was stocked with plenty of each.

Note the strategic placement of Red Solo Cups in the pic.

Above we have Scot (Live4FW), Andrew (TCD), Scot's Dad, and Kevin (CrazeMama26's husband).

And next we see Janelle (CrazeMama26), a bunch of the Fiend kids, and Christy (It's Not Cindy) hidden behind my daughter.

Here I am with a bag of Steak Potato Chips and Lil Lisa gave me when she was passing through TN on her way home from the Fort. I saved them for a special occasion...and TITWIT was it! We enjoyed them!

I'm on the phone with TnBob.

More Fiends have arrived. New in this pic are Jan (2goofy's DW) and Pam and DH (rdancemom). Also Kevin and Janelle and Christy are here. Jan brought some awesome punch! But at this point poor Mike (2goofy) was laid up at their MH because he took a nasty fall out of someone's Prevost coach onto the concrete! Jan brought over the punch, and we eventually were able to get Mike over with us later in the evening.

All the while we were at our site, I had a peach and blueberry cobbler cooking in the dutch oven on coals back at the grill. It was looking pretty good by the time we decided to move onto the next site...Live4FW's site in 1600. So off we went!

Scot's son had discovered a great Costa Rican beer when he was studying down there, so that is what they decided to share with everyone.

And Kevin and Janelle, who had a site across from them next to Jen's site, brought an assortment of Wisconsin beers with them to share. Here are a couple of them.

More drinking took place.

Scot was showing a cool video of his son's experiences in Costa Rica.

One of Janelle's girls hitting the beer cooler. Typical Wisconsonite...start 'em young.

I guess they ALL start young!

Alli joined the action.

We took the cart over to 600 to pick up Mike. He felt just good enough to join us for a bit...but he was in some pain!

Maybe the beer helped a bit.

Lorna arrived to get some Anna hugs.

And Chris and Jen wandered over.

INC and I went back to our camper to put Anna in bed, leaving our oldest in charge. We then grabbed the cobbler and ice cream, and hightailed it back to 1600!

We all were sitting eating the cobber, when Scot asked if I had remembered to take a picture of it. Crap!!! Once again...I forgot the pood forn!

Well, it was half gone but I took one anyways.

Well, as usually happens at Fiend GG's, things started to get really hysterical. I don't know if Fiends are the funniest people on the planet, or if we just had had enough to drink that anything would be funny, but by this point I was laughing so hard my sides hurt and my eyes were tearing up.

And that was before the hats came out.

Yes, Lorna and Ritchie tried on hats. We were all crying.

And Jen tried on a hat.

And I think that's all the pictures I have of TITWIT.

Oh wait.

There might be one more.

A picture that was supposed to be deleted. And I thought I HAD deleted it.

But just like that picture of Melvin, it somehow surprised me by being on my SD card.

So, I suppose I'll post it. Please don't hate me Lorna. It's just too awesome a picture to not share it.

We love you Lorna!!

We were beyond hysterical at this point. In fact, I remember laughing so hard that I was wiped out. I think we turned in for the night shortly after this. Completely happy and satisfied.

The night before Thanksgiving was a blast. TITWIT was a success. We need to do it again next year.

[itsnotcindy 24]

We love you Lorna!!

We were beyond hysterical at this point. In fact, I remember laughing so hard that I was wiped out. I think we turned in for the night shortly after this. Completely happy and satisfied.

The night before Thanksgiving was a blast. TITWIT was a success. We need to do it again next year.

:rofl2:

[YodaGirl 13]

I've been away for a few days, and I finally caught back up.

Looks like you all had a great night before Thanksgiving!

Growing up, we didn't do a lot of eating out at Disney, but we tried I think we did a character meal every time. I have pictures of us eating breakfast with Melvin. I want to say that it was in 86? I've even got the kazoos to prove it. :)

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

Hansel and Gretel comes to mind

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Oh my goodness. it looks like alot of fun was had. Love that last pictures...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I've been away for a few days, and I finally caught back up.

Looks like you all had a great night before Thanksgiving!

Growing up, we didn't do a lot of eating out at Disney, but we tried I think we did a character meal every time. I have pictures of us eating breakfast with Melvin. I want to say that it was in 86? I've even got the kazoos to prove it. :)

That's right! Don't forget, I promised at one time to break into your house and steal the kazoo. Better be on the lookout!

Hansel and Gretel comes to mind

:rofl2:

Oh my goodness. it looks like alot of fun was had. Love that last pictures...

It was a good time!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

What a fun gathering of Fiends. We must do something like this for Stone Mountain.

Lorna I love you too but this is hysterical. :rofl2:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Awww, Lorna! It's adorable! TITWIT looks like it was fun! My goal is to be there for BATWIT at Halloween TITWIT and Thanksgiving and ? for Christmas/NYE!

[LONE-STAR 370]

Just for everyone reading along thats thinking that cobbler looks good. I can tell you from eating it that it was the best cobbler. I could eat some right now.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

LOVE THE LORNA PICS!!!!!!!!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

LOVE THE LORNA PICS!!!!!!!!

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

I guess the pictures were so good, Carol had to say it twice!

[LORNADUCK 261]

Dave, how can I hate you (EASY). But I know it's all in good fun. I just realized why Anna laughs every time I see her, do I always make those stange faces?

Ok I don't feel so bad, because I didn't realize that you got a picture of Jen also. But every picture I take my mouth is open, just one of these days I should shut up!!!

The hats were a present to us from Matt, I came home one night and he was so excited that he ordered us these hats from a friend of his, when I saw them I LMAO. Well how could I have something that funny and not share with FIENDS???

We had a great night and wish we would have gotten there earlier. Yes I will bring the hats to Stoned Mtn.

DAVE & INC and THE GIRLS :heartsmiley: :heart: :heartsmiley: