Valentine's Day
The Site: http://www.reecesrainbow.org/
The Scripture: “Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.” Proverbs 24:12
The Story: Reece’s Rainbow is an adoption advocacy for special needs orphans, and they’re the organization who God used to bring Chrissie into our family. I chose to wear our RR shirts on Valentine’s Day because Chrissie is our special little Valentine, and I pray you’ll go make a donation to Reece’s Rainbow in honor of your special Valentine. (RR is also having a special Valentine fundraiser with merchandise you can purchase, but I couldn't get their shirts in time for our trip, so I made our own in honor of our special little Valentine.) There are families out there just waiting with open arms to adopt a special needs orphan, but international adoption is ridiculously expensive and, in many circumstances, cost is the only thing standing between the orphan and his/her forever family. If you’ll go make a donation, no matter how large or small, you’ll help unite a special needs orphan with his/her forever family!!! Go visit the RR site now and give from your heart.
Our Day 4 Make-A-Wish Adventure, Saturday, Feb. 13: Today was a beautiful day in Florida with sun shining and a temperature of around 65 degrees, thank you God!!! We read our family devo this morning, followed by the opening of Valentine’s cards from grandparents. The kids were SOOOOOOOOOOO excited to have Valentine money from their grandparents, and they were just itching for a trip to Wal-Mart to buy some souvenirs. (The kids figured out that they can get the same shirts at Wal-Mart for ¼ the price of Disney World.) The kids loaded up on shirts, and then we headed to Universal Studios.
Our Villa at GKTW
Today was such a gorgeous day, and we were afraid Disney would be as crowded as it was Saturday, so we opted for the “relaxed” atmosphere at Universal. We only made it to one of the two Universal parks on Friday (when it was raining so hard), so we wanted to visit the other park, where Barney has a show. (Chrissie adores Barney!)
I believe our day at Universal today was our most treasured day so far, as Universal really goes above and beyond for their Wish Kids. They make sure the Wish Kids have the BEST seating, and they treat them like royalty. With every show, they ask the Wish Kids to stay behind afterward so they can meet the characters.
Nascar!
We took Chrissie to the Barney show, which she LOVED. Throughout the show, Chrissie was singing and clapping and shouting, “HI BARNEY!!! HI B.J!!! HI BABY BOP!!!” After the show, Chrissie got to hug and talk to Barney, B.J. and Baby Bop. It was the cutest, sweetest thing ever as she wasn’t as scared of Barney this time. She wasn’t scared of Baby Bop at all, probably because Baby Bop is about the size of Mom. There were other Make-A-Wish kids there as well, and one boy stole our hearts. He was probably 16 years old, and he was severely handicapped, in a wheelchair, probably paraplegic with little mental capacity. He cried when he got to meet Barney, BJ and Baby Bop. He shook with excitement, and he tried so hard to express his thoughts about how much he loves them. It was deeply touching, and not one dry eye was in the group as we watched and cheered for this boy who was so grateful to meet his favorite characters. Chrissie clapped for him. We cried.
Chrissie with Ms. Peek-A-Boo, who introduced the Barney characters.
Chrissie got to ride another kid’s roller coaster with Mom (Woody Woodpecker), and she LOVED it. She LOVES to go fast, and her first words to me as she sat on the ride were, “Mom, I so cited (excited) cuz I get to go fast. It’s so FUN! I LOVE this!!!” That was before the ride even took off, and her enthusiasm exploded as she rode the ride with a gleeful happiness that we are most grateful for.
We then went to a show that introduced several of the famous animals from movies, and the trainers discussed how they train the animals for various roles. Chrissie enjoyed watching all of the animals perform tricks, and afterward, she got to meet the “talking” dog from Men in Black. She didn’t care very much about him, but she did oblige him with a photo.
Shortly after this, I began to feel ill. Very ill. Not the kind of nauseating illness from a ride, but the kind of ill feeling that made me know a very bad stomach virus was coming on…fast. I took Chrissie and the girls on the LONG hike to the rental van, and Matt stayed with the boys so they could ride one more ride. As soon as we made it to the van, I ended up getting very sick right there in the parking lot. Over and over. It was atrocious. Matt and the boys made it to the van, and we drove back to Give Kids The World, where I proceeded to get sick, again, on the side of the road. I made it into the villa, where I got sick again, and then I was deathly ill for the remainder of the entire night and into the next day. Fever, shaking, vomiting…the works. Not good.
Matt took the kids to hang out at Give Kids The World while I remained very ill in the room. I was so grateful for him and all he was doing to entertain the kids while I felt like I was going to die!!! They ate dinner, played, hung out, watched movies, and left Mom alone to wallow in my bed of illness. UGH!
Later that night, Chrissie bawled because Matt wouldn’t let her sleep with me since he was afraid she would get the virus, and then she wouldn’t be able to have her open-heart surgery on the 22nd. This was Chrissie’s first night since she’s been in our family to NOT sleep by Mom’s side. It was traumatic, but she made it through the night and woke to realize that Mom was still there. (She has fears that I will leave her.) We had purchased Chrissie a stuffed Barney, B.J. and Baby Bop at Universal, so she slept with those, in between Mattie and Daddy, her next 2 sleeping partner choices.
Please pray no one else gets this virus. It’s not fun, at all. In fact, I haven’t been that violently ill in decades!!!
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1 comment:
Lorraine,
I'm soooo sorry to hear about the flu. Ugh! I have your family, and most especially, Chrissie, in my prayers that they do not come down with the bug either. Get some Clorox Wipes and wipe down everything in your rooms. Lysol, too. Spray, spray, spray.
I'm sorry to hear that Disney was not as great as you hoped - unfortunately, being cold and crowded at Disney is not a whole lot of fun. I am glad that the sun came out and that you were able to warm up a bit, and enjoy the latter part of your day. It does sound like the trip has been fantastic, and Chrissie looks like she's having a fantastic time.
I was in Orlando on business last week, and about froze to death, as well. I ended up coming home with a nasty respiratory virus, and the proud owner of two new sweatshirts (because I didn't have enough warm clothes). I had opted not to take a winter coat - left it in my car in Ohio. Boy, was I sorry!
I hope the remainder of the week warms up for you and that your remaining days are HEALTHY and magical.
Best Regards.
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