When You Wish Upon a Star...

...Makes no difference who you are;
Anything your heart desires can come to you.
I sure like that little song;
I sure hope that it's not wrong!
I have dreams of remission -
Hope they come true!
It's been a long while since my last posting, and while it's nice to know that people notice, I should assure my dear readers (some of whom have expressed concern) that my absence was not for any bad reason. After the Easter/Messiah whirlwind I was a flutter of activity getting client projects finished and preparing things at home so that we could take our much-anticipated family trip to Disneyworld.

This trip was a Christmas gift from my mom, who always knows what to get the person who has everything (including cancer). We were able to enjoy the trip together with Mom, my brother, Dr. Jim, his family (wife Rachel and children Madison and Ethan), and my "baby" brother (who is approaching the quarter-century mark), Blake. Our group was large enough to qualify as a "Grand Gathering", full of many magical and wonderful experiences.

We blitzed through the entire World in five days (four full days and two half-days)and still had time to hang out in the hotel pool. We met with/took pictures with/got autographs from almost every Disney character and/or princess that you can think of. We ate enough fabulous food to look like we were all on steroids. We did all the "headliner"/must-see rides & shows & other attractions (except that I was a good patient and stayed off the rollercoasters and fast rides, which but for the advice of my doctor I would fearlessly go for). We stayed in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we had giraffes and zebras and other animals feeding right outside our balconies. We had a great time.

To Jared: It was fun to relive our 1993 "second honeymoon" trip to Disney World without having to play "what's colder than me." (Inside joke!)

To Jim: Thanks for the mole checks at the pool and the housecall when Mom and I both got the same funny rash on our ankles!

To Rachel: Thanks for taking on all the many details of trip planning, so that we could have so many awesome activities!

To Madison: I'm glad we were able to celebrate your 7th birthday together in the Magic Kingdom! I'm sad that you got sick the next day, but glad that you got better. You are a beautiful young lady, and Jacob looks up to you as his older cousin.

To Ethan: You did a great job, man! Jacob loved playing with you as his younger cousin! His favorite memory is playing light sabers with you!

To Blake: "If you knew Suzy like I knew Suzy..." (Inside joke!!!!)

To Jacob: Remember that just as in life, most of the things we did were not as scary as you feared! You were the most charming little prince in the whole Disney World!

To Emma: You were born to be a princess, and while you won't remember this trip, I'm still glad that we could see it through your eyes.

To Mom (aka The Fairy Godmother): Thanks again and again and again for making this magical dream trip come true!

And we all lived happily ever after!

p.s. Pictured from left to right are: Emma, Jared, me, Madison, Mom, Mickey Mouse, Jacob, Ethan, Rachel, Blake, and Jim