This morning we were picked up at 6:50 am, by a white limo. Spencer even got the red carpet treatment. As we rode through our neighborhood, people were out running, walking their dogs, and getting their papers...and they all stopped and stared. Some did double takes. The kids were enjoying it and laughing. Then we got on the highway and people started blowing their horns at us! That was when the kids realized they couldn't see who was in the limo! They started waving, making faces, and doing the John Cena "you can't see me" wave. What a start!
We got checked in at the airport, and we met another wish family! And even cooler...they were headed to the same place we were!
Spencer LOVED the plane ride. Take off was initally a little intimidating (there is a video!), but then it was a wow moment. Imagine his shock when he got to Orlando and found out someone was waiting for him...
We arrived at GKTW and checked in....all of the kids got gifts at check in and then there were MORE on the table in our villa....
Everything at the village is free and we were starving, so we ordered food from Katie's Kitchen. It's run by Boston Market and the food was amazing!!!! Then we went for a walk and got some free icecream.
While we were doing that, Daddy went to orientation. This is the big meeting where they give you all of your theme park tickets and everything. And there is alot of everything. Disney even provides us with a free Disney Photo passport....which means we can have them take all the pictures we want of us in Disneyworld, and they give them all to us!!! We also got a green light pass, which means we don't stand in line for rides or characters at any parks...including the universal parks and seaworld. It's a green light to go right to the front. Which means we can do more than we would normally be able to get done on a trip. While Dad was finding all of this out, we were checking out the castle. The castle has a ceiling where each wish kid who has ever been to GKTW places a star. Then when they come back they can find it. We found Madison's! (Spencer will also put one up there while he is here.) You can't read the writing, because of my flash, but here is Madison's star. (From way back in 2002!)
Later that day we had dinner at the Gingerbread house (the meals there are donated by Perkins Restaurant), and it was delicious! After that we headed to the pool (where Spencer had been wanting to go all day). I don't have a picture to post, because we took them with a disposable waterproof camera, but the pool is simply amazing. It has a water garden and sprinklers that spray into the pool from the side. And the most amazing thing about it, is that it is wheelchair accessible. They have wheelchairs that can be rolled right into the water! They thought of everything! I will try to get some pictures of it tomorrow that I can upload. We had to get out after about an hour, because it was lightening in the distance, but that was ok because we needed to go back to our villa to get tucked in by Mayor Clayton. Mayor Clayton is a 6ft tall bunny rabbit who runs GKTW. Spencer had been looking forward to this for weeks!
While we were waiting on our tuck in, Mike settled down with Spencer to check out some videos we had taken earlier in the day. Spencer has been non verbal most of his life, and only in the past year has started talking in sentences and trying to carry on conversations with us. He has never told his dad, or anyone, that he loves them. (Although he did once tell me that he hated me when I didn't give him a soda! haha.) While they were laying on the bed, Spencer was clearly enjoying his day, and very excited that the Mayor was coming. He turned around, and looked at his dad, then very calmly and clearly said "I love you Daddy." My husband was blown away. He's been waiting all his life to hear those words. At almost 9 years old, Spencer finally said them. With no prompting, and with true sincerity. Inspired only by the magic that is his wish. My husband has cried for hours.
And we've only made it through day one...
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