by Sarah | Mar 17, 2016 | All About Family, All About Molly, All of Us, Autism, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Special Needs
2014 – Disney, Universal, Make-A-Wish…My dear sweet Molly.
Oh, how she loved so much about the parks.
The princesses, the speedway (because she can drive!), the ice cream (because, DUH).
Just about everything was just AWESOME.
There was one thing that held her back.
One thing that kept her sitting on the sidelines about 50-75% of the time.
She was afraid.
Of the rides. Of the roller coasters. Of anything that left the ground in any fashion.
Lucky for her, her brother wasn’t too keen on the rides either. They sat out most of the rides.
Fast forward one year.
2015.
The year started out much like the year before.
Molly holding back.
Then something changed.
Something small.
She noticed the Barnstormer. She was afraid, but jealous of us going on all these rides and coming off super excited.
And so she took a chance.
She rode the ride.
And came off exhilarated.
She wouldn’t ride one that went upside down, but she went on every roller coaster from that point on. We went on the Barnstormer three times. She even, on the last night, went on Space Mountain. It terrified her, but she ended up loving it.
Little by little she went from Molly the Meek to Molly the Daredevil(ish). It was so much fun watching her emerge from that little ball of fear into eagerness.
She admitted after our last roller coaster (Space Mountain), that every ride scared her, but that was half the fun.
Molly stepping out of her comfort zone is a huge deal.
So thank you, Disney. Universal. For bringing out the daredevil in this one. It’s awesome. You’re awesome.
by Sarah | Mar 10, 2016 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Giveaway, Redefining Perfect
A big thank you to Jenn Naas for visiting today to discuss what she does as a Disney Vacation Planner! I haven’t had the pleasure of using her services yet, but I’ve certainly peppered her with questions since our introduction! Our most recent trips to Disney have made us addicts, so we’re already dreaming and planning. There is a giveaway at the bottom of the post so stay tuned!
My family LOVES Disney World. I’m not sure if I used that word strong enough so let me bold it- LOVES Disney World!! About eight years ago my husband had a work trip in Orlando so we decided that I would join him, we’d bring our (then) two kids along and try out Disney. Our love affair began then and has been in fast forward ever since.
There is this wonderful thing that happens when you take a Disney vacation with your kids, you cry tears of happiness seeing Disney through their eyes (it’s ok to admit it- we all do it). You leave all the cares of the real world behind while being transplanted into this magical, happy place you never want to leave. I am not kidding- If you don’t believe me, ask around, you’ll see.
(Parade time is a MUST for my family- I never watch the
parade though, I watch my kids watch the parade)
Many families love Disney vacations, yet with increasing costs, new technology, and the limitless amount of information available on the internet, planning a magical family vacation can be a bit overwhelming.
First time guests and seasoned Disney-goers can both benefit from the advice of a Disney expert. This is where a certified Disney Planner comes in! I love nothing more than creating perfect, magical vacations for families and adding my own pixie dust along the way. Best of all… my services are FREE! Yes, you read that right, my services cost you zip a dee do dah zilch!
Too good to be true? Not in this case! Disney pays planners like me so you don’t have to! I then get to work with you to find the best dates, resorts, and packages for your family within your budget. I take time to build an itinerary to include dinner with princesses or pirates, fastpasses to meet Anna and Elsa or for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine train coaster, and so much more. All of this is included in the packages and no surprises.
And it’s not only Disney parks. Disney Cruise Line takes you to magical locations like the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Hawaii and even the Mediterranean. Disney service at sea… it doesn’t get much better.
By now, you may be wondering about some of the benefits of using a Disney Planner. Let’s start with all the time-consuming, stressful parts. Like waking up at 6:00am to snag the perfect reservation at Cinderella’s castle for your little princess. Constantly worrying if there is a better deal available. You leave those things to me so you only have to worry about how many sets of Mickey ears you need to budget for. The questions are endless and I’m here to answer each and every one and I’m excited to work for you to ensure you have the most magical vacation.
When you call Disney directly to book your vacation, you will begin chatting with a wonderful Disney Cast member trained to book your trip and move on to the next phone call. Sometimes you won’t even speak with a Disney employee at all but rather a 3rd party costumer service rep. While these employees are wonderful people, they can’t give advice or opinions. I am lucky enough to be the personal side of Disney that can and will give opinions. Not to mention you will work with me the entire way not some new person each time you call. I get to know you on a personal level and can easily adjust your trip to best fit your needs.
For those seasoned Disney families that feel they don’t need any help- a good planner will allow you all the control you want, but take over the parts you don’t AND sprinkle a little extra pixie dust as a thank you for working with us! As a special bonus for cruisers, many planners are able to offer you onboard credits that you can spend while on the ship on just about anything! This is one big bonus you are unable to receive when booking yourself! Don’t forget Disney is ALWAYS changing and having someone on your side to let you know all the new and updated happenings is always a bonus!
Extensive knowledge of different Disney resorts, the theme parks, pricing trends, and crowd patterns makes Disney planners’ knowledge invaluable to our clients. This comes from experience, frequent trips to the Theme Parks and on Disney Cruises, and love for the product.
My favorite part of this job is getting to know each client and what will make their trip special. I want my clients to leave for their vacation knowing that they got the best price possible and feeling prepared for their experiences – whether they are at land or at sea.
If you have even been thinking about Disney – contact a planner. I promise you will say it’s one of the best decisions you made when planning your Disney trip!
Mention you saw this post to get a special gift upon travel with a
minimum of a three-night vacation package to Disney World, Disneyland,
Disney Cruise, Aulani, or Adventures by Disney vacation.
Who wants a giveaway?!?!
Jenn has been so great to not only tell us about what she does, but has provided a fun giveaway of some pretty awesome Disney stuff.
Leave a comment below about your Disney dreams to win this amazing prize package!
Who doesn’t want Mickey ears, an autograph book and a Disney picture frame? Shoot, if I could, I’d enter for the frame alone! It’s awesome!
Leave a comment below about your Disney dreams to win this amazing prize package!
*Disclaimer: Giveaway is open until 12noon Wednesday, March 16th, 2016.
by Sarah | Mar 3, 2016 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Me, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect
There was one little detail Denver didn’t bother to tell us.
Of course, this was during the time he didn’t speak to us much at all, so that shouldn’t be surprising.
But, still, he didn’t mention that he didn’t choose Disney as his initial wish for one reason, and one reason alone.
He was certain he would hate it.
It would be stupid.
He was sixteen, what did he care about a land that all began with a mouse?
And then…
And then he went. He remained stoic through a good portion of it, but yet there were smiles.
Here and there.
Somewhere in that time, in that brief week of time – it happened.
He fell in love.
With the land that started with a mouse.
With the land he now calls home.
With the dream.
And I say we are a Disney loving family, but he is the king of it all.
Disney has transformed him in ways I had only hoped would happen.
He is focused, and driven (though not on school – that’s another story). He is ready to move on and out, and head back home.
And if I could, I would be right there with him.
It’s funny how Disney works that way. How it takes a teenager who’s too big for his britches, and too cool for such things…and makes him a believer.
Disney was special to me before – now it’s even more so because it brought my kid back to me.
by Sarah | Feb 18, 2016 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect
We once again had the mixed blessing of a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney and Universal. How it came about wasn’t intentional, in fact the wish was originally something much different.
When we had our first meeting with Make-A-Wish Denver thought he’d hate Disney, that Kennedy’s wish would be awful, and he’d be so bored. His wish was to meet Sir Patrick Stewart. We were warned that celebrity wishes were difficult and took a long time to fulfill. So we waited.
I planned Kennedy’s trip in the few months we had, and we ended up going in pretty blind.
We had an amazing trip, as I’ve documented here (and will continue to do so), and all too soon we returned home. Although Denver returned home a changed teen, we thought that was it.
A few months later I got the fateful email – Denver’s original wish to meet Sir Patrick Stewart would not be able to come to fruition. He was working 27 hour days on the set of his new show and they couldn’t make it happen. Did Denver want to change his second wish?
Boy, did he ever. He wasn’t sure Make-A-Wish could make it happen because we’d just been, but if we could, could we return to Disney?
Turns out, they could, and so we were going to return to Disney!
Denver wasn’t done there, though.
To top of the already magical wish of a Disney vacation – he wanted to invite his grandparents (only my mother went).
And then he wanted to take it a step further.
He wanted to completely surprise his sisters.
So for seven months we kept the secret, barely at times.
The story of the reveal is one for another day, but suffice it to say, it went over very well and we made the amazing return to Disney.
We did more, saw more. Had better times, and some not-so-great times. We went on every coaster, sometimes twice. We took chances, we met princesses and dined with them.
We met villains and Eeyore and Mad Hatters.
The return was a breathtaking celebration, the fate of our family as a Disney family sealed. The future goals of our son irrevocably changed.
Once again their is so much to tell. So much that will come out over the course of the next few months. I’ll continue our stories from the first year and add in those from the second.
Needless to say. If we weren’t before – we are a Disney family now.
by Sarah | Dec 31, 2015 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Indiana, All About Kennedy, All About Marriage, All About Me, All About Molly, All About Ripley, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect
Tonight is a night of reflection. When we all look back on the year that’s past and examine it, and then look forward to the coming year and anticipate what’s coming.
A breath of hope.
Of change.
Of life.
To look back on my 2015 I can sum it all up with one simple word.
More so in the last 1/3 of the year, but definitely, all around, chaos.
There was much good to be had – Disney (again), getting my son back from the land of emo teenager, book releases, returning to the community theater stage (w/ my whole family, no less) good moments with friends and family.
There were also rough times – my dad’s downward spiral into some pretty bad Parkinson’s symptoms, working triple time at the day job, my publisher closing, and some pretty hurt feelings on my part (sorry, vagueposting that).
The last third of the year it felt like I couldn’t even take a breath we were so insanely busy. Between the play, Disney, work life and home life, I got hardly any writing done, hardly any breathing done.
Now it’s time to step back and take a breath. To look to the upcoming year with hope and excitement.
I see more chaos in the coming year for certain. I see myself setting more lofty goals for myself. I see big changes for my family’s dynamic as one bird flies from the nest. I see growth for my book sales, and moving closer to my dream of being able to stay at home again. I see excitement as more of my Buffalo family moves to Indiana.
So I welcome 2016 with a certain level of anticipation and calm acceptance.
I look forward to whatever it brings me.
by Sarah | Oct 8, 2015 | All About Denver, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Cystic Fibrosis, Disney, Make-A-Wish, Personal, Redefining Perfect, Special Needs
The past four months have been chaotic and filled with a secretive sort of excitement.
Denver has us keeping a rather large secret from the girls.
We are returning to Disney this fall!
I have been scrambling for dining reservations, suitcases, and other necessities that I have to sneak into the house and hide from the girls.
Because they do NOT know.
Part of Denver’s wish at Make A Wish was to keep this whole thing a big, fat, humongous secret from his two little sisters.
So we are whispers, sneaking, and super secret planning and count-downing. Texting ideas instead of saying them out loud.
Oh, we’ve nearly been caught several times…but any time the girls hear Disney or we discuss anything in front of them, it’s “in 2021”. (For the record, we are planning a trip in 2021 that will be larger in scale and involve good friends along for the ride)
2021 is a great cover story when we get caught.
But we are going back…and the teen and I are making a serious effort for real planning.
We have secured all the reservations we REALLY wanted (getting into the parks early! Yay!). We’ve scoured maps and discussed what was missed last year and will not be missed again. We’ve supplied ourselves with a bunch of pins for trading (and keeping!!). We’ve watched and re-watched all the Disney shows to be had (thank you, Destination America) until our DVR broke.
In 20 days from now, a limo will arrive bright and early while the girls are still in bed. We will have everything packed and ready to go and we’ll burst into the girls room yelling that they’re late for school and rush them outside to the waiting limo!!
The excitement is palpable.
The countdown is a way to get us through the rough days.
And there have been a lot of them these days.
Thank goodness for the mouse.
2014 – Disney, Universal, Make-A-Wish…My dear sweet Molly.
2015.
