wanttobeinvienna
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2010
Hi all- I have been a Disboard lurker for years now... and recently started posting here and there a little. I have found that I absolutely love the pre and post trip reports, they give me new heroes (some of you are amazing!!!) and great tips I decided that as a great way to organize my thoughts, share my family's story, and record our memories, I would post my Pre- Trip report. This is a story about Family- families come in all shapes and sizes, and are defined in so many ways. I celebrate family, those through blood, those we choose, and those we look at and say "Really, we are related???? Really??
I have a lot of time right now on my hands... for reasons to be explained in a minute... Which means... there could be a lot of words here!!!
So I will start with my cast of characters:
The First Family:
* Melissa (me) The unofficial coordinator of the trip. I am the mom of 2, step mom of 2 and wife to Erin. I grew up in a Disney family.... we had no money, and my parents had a lot of kids, but every year, they scraped up the money to take all of us down for a day or 2. We never stayed on the grounds, we ate peanut butter sandwiches in the parking lot, and considered the cool napkins souveniers. It was perfect, perfect, perfect!! I have worked in the field of HIV & AIDS, in education, advocacy, treatment adherance, and development. My job demanded a lot of my time and attention- working 60-70 hours/week just to get it all done. I loved it- but one day I had a revelation-- while I love my job, I love my family more. My DH started getting frustrated, and encouraged me to leave. Incentive to leave- Disney . Today, I started a new life as a SAHM, with a small sewing business on the side.
* Erin (DH) The one who puts up with my obsessive planning, and who pays for all of this! A former Army Ranger, the most kind, funny, and relaxed man I have ever met. I am honored to be his wife. I am grateful for him every day.
We met a couple of years ago, and fell in love. We had both had been married before, and faced various pains through our divorces. We were a crazy mixed up match....A former military, structured man meets crazy, advocate- starts going to various protests, events, etc, and not only accepts girl for who she is, but embraces, loves, and nurtures. She falls in love with everything he is and was.
I am the mom of 2, he is the dad of 2... We got married last March, and became one large family of 6. To celebrate, we went on a "Family-moon"- 10 days at Disney, and had the most incredible time. Driving back, he looked at me and said..."when do we go back??" Yep- I knew I had married good then!!!
Our kids are:
Talya- Erin's oldest- 13 year old daughter, and the most driven person I know. As an 8th grader- she is working hard to get into Princeton (ummmm....when I was 13, I wanted to get into Friday night's party... College was the furthest from my mind LOL) She is our sweetheart and caregiver. She is awesome!
Kiara- Erin's youngest - 11 year old daughter- she has a heart of gold and an "old soul." She keeps her emotions close, but loves everyone. She has a soft spot for animals, and is starting band this year-- she is so excited.
Ezekiel- My oldest- 9 year old son. His world revolves around football and Star Wars, but isn't too cool to snuggle up and read books with his mom, and give me a hug and kiss before he runs out on the football field. He is a natural advocate, and wants to see the best in people, even those that it seems the rest of the world overlooks.
Paxton- My youngest- 7 year old daughter- Paxton is our crack up! This child spends all day every day smiling, which is why she makes the perfect cheerleader!! She is the one that will hug you if you feel down, laugh with you if you feel silly... She is a miracle!
Will continue in next post - There are a lot more people!!!
I have a lot of time right now on my hands... for reasons to be explained in a minute... Which means... there could be a lot of words here!!!
So I will start with my cast of characters:
The First Family:
* Melissa (me) The unofficial coordinator of the trip. I am the mom of 2, step mom of 2 and wife to Erin. I grew up in a Disney family.... we had no money, and my parents had a lot of kids, but every year, they scraped up the money to take all of us down for a day or 2. We never stayed on the grounds, we ate peanut butter sandwiches in the parking lot, and considered the cool napkins souveniers. It was perfect, perfect, perfect!! I have worked in the field of HIV & AIDS, in education, advocacy, treatment adherance, and development. My job demanded a lot of my time and attention- working 60-70 hours/week just to get it all done. I loved it- but one day I had a revelation-- while I love my job, I love my family more. My DH started getting frustrated, and encouraged me to leave. Incentive to leave- Disney . Today, I started a new life as a SAHM, with a small sewing business on the side.
* Erin (DH) The one who puts up with my obsessive planning, and who pays for all of this! A former Army Ranger, the most kind, funny, and relaxed man I have ever met. I am honored to be his wife. I am grateful for him every day.
We met a couple of years ago, and fell in love. We had both had been married before, and faced various pains through our divorces. We were a crazy mixed up match....A former military, structured man meets crazy, advocate- starts going to various protests, events, etc, and not only accepts girl for who she is, but embraces, loves, and nurtures. She falls in love with everything he is and was.
I am the mom of 2, he is the dad of 2... We got married last March, and became one large family of 6. To celebrate, we went on a "Family-moon"- 10 days at Disney, and had the most incredible time. Driving back, he looked at me and said..."when do we go back??" Yep- I knew I had married good then!!!
Our kids are:
Talya- Erin's oldest- 13 year old daughter, and the most driven person I know. As an 8th grader- she is working hard to get into Princeton (ummmm....when I was 13, I wanted to get into Friday night's party... College was the furthest from my mind LOL) She is our sweetheart and caregiver. She is awesome!
Kiara- Erin's youngest - 11 year old daughter- she has a heart of gold and an "old soul." She keeps her emotions close, but loves everyone. She has a soft spot for animals, and is starting band this year-- she is so excited.
Ezekiel- My oldest- 9 year old son. His world revolves around football and Star Wars, but isn't too cool to snuggle up and read books with his mom, and give me a hug and kiss before he runs out on the football field. He is a natural advocate, and wants to see the best in people, even those that it seems the rest of the world overlooks.
Paxton- My youngest- 7 year old daughter- Paxton is our crack up! This child spends all day every day smiling, which is why she makes the perfect cheerleader!! She is the one that will hug you if you feel down, laugh with you if you feel silly... She is a miracle!
Will continue in next post - There are a lot more people!!!