I'm loving your trip report! I remember you stating on Instagram how hot it was, and I'm with you, I would have had big ol' pity panties on. I hate, hate, hate being hot.
I've only been to Disneyland twice, and the last time it was super crowded and we didn't have much time. As I'm reading through your report I keep remembering all of the things that we didn't do on that trip. It makes me want to plan another trip out there but far away from any Santa Ana winds.
I always love reading your trip reports and seeing all of the cool things your family does when it comes to vacationing and thinking about how I hope I'm able to do those same things with my kids. While I had a good upbringing and was able to travel (to WDW) a lot, it is so different when you have to pay for it yourself. I really appreciate that you always include stories from several years back and the struggles your family went through to get where you are today. It really does show that hard work and perseverance will pay off!
And Tracey, what a sweetheart! So thoughtful of you to make sure those ladies got back to their resort safely.
Thank you so much! OMGosh! I think this is one of the sweetest posts ever!
As "small" as everyone claims DL is, there's so much stuff packed in there. Like WDW, you have to keep going back to get around to things and even then you'll never do it all. That's what makes DL so incredible. As WDW vets we see the smaller size and think, "Yeah....(chuckle-chuckle)....piece of cake." Yeah, right! It doesn't work that way.
I'm so glad you like seeing all the stuff that our family does together. It's so much fun. All the struggles or challenges to get to where we are is what makes us who we are. Right? I love to write on any ordinary day. Telling our stories takes my love of writing to a whole 'nother level. ((Have you ever read or listened to StoryCorps stories??? I LOVE those!))
Tracey's parents always took their family all sorts of places. His parents had times of good fortune and times that were thin. The kids never felt like they missed anything, tho. They did stuff together and could have a blast on little to nothing. Hearing their stories, the adventures they went on all over the country, it's awesome! We always tell ourselves 20, 30, 40 years from now when we look back it won't be the money we remember. It's the life we lived and the memories. The rest is just details. That's true.
As the years go by the amounts we've spent to do what we wanted to with our family seems to become more and more just a fuzzy insignificant detail. Was it a big deal at the time? Yeah. I sold every doll in my tiny collection, most of them gifts, and Tracey sold every piece of fishing tackle he had just to scrape together enough money to take our boys to WDW the first time in January 2004. Since then it's been a strange dance to get where we wanted to go. Sometimes it was harder. Sometimes easier but we always made a way. Sometimes times were thin and other times we had money like we'd never had before. It's all part of the journey. Shouldn't we embrace that? Even now, the past several big trips we've taken I've questioned the wisdom in going forward with them so heavily. It's been a LOT of money, far more than I ever dreamed we'd spend. As the family bookeeper, financially I see that some things aren't the wisest and I second guess everything. I worry so much. But the boys are growing up so fast and each trip is more and more precious. We're so close to not having the luxury of time with them anymore. We see that. Tracey says, "Well if I have to work more, I will. If I have to put off retirement a few more years, I don't care. These are our opportunities and we can't let them pass us by. If we do, we might not have them again." He's right. So maybe at the end of this life we won't have much of anything but I promise you we'll be rich as any royalty with love, family, and memories. Most importantly we won't have regrets. We will have always done our best. There's not much more anyone can ask, really.
Tracey IS a sweetheart! He's a great caretaker at heart. He's always helping random people whenever he can because he enjoys it and it's what people should do. I've always loved that in him.
Y'know, Rachel, that's so true. I'm really glad you put that out there.
I think lots of people have an attitude that either "other people are so lucky" or that "it comes easy to some people" or "I want what I feel I'm entitled to", and our girl Kelly just lays it out and shows that it's not lucky, or easy, and if you work for what you want, that's what gets you entitled to it. That explains why she's beloved around here, and I am proud to call her friend.
Oh my! Siobhan! You made my eyeballs leak!
Of course I'll sit here and say, "I don't care what anyone thinks of me", but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. A comment was recently made to my mom by a relative that insinuated that we were somehow bestowed with money or good fortune. Yes, we're blessed (by God to have each other!) but it's not in a way that anything has been handed to us. I know logically that this relative who has a nasty habit of puting on the poor-mouth to fish for handouts (because she feels like if you have something she doesn't then you should give to her) was just doing her usual song-n-dance. BUT, it bothered me. I'm not rich. I don't come from money. Tracey's parents certainly aren't wealthy and he didn't grow up with financial opportunity at his feet. Our parents have helped us a few times when things were critical just as we would do for our children, don't get me wrong. We weren't given an education. We married young and started our life together with not a whole lot. We had our clothes, our childhood trinkets, hand-me-down bedroom furniture, a pair of simple gold wedding bands, and an 11 year old beater of a pick-up truck. We started with each other and our dreams. The first 8 months or so we were married we lived in a converted garage room behind his parents house then with his grandparents. Just getting our first tiny 2 room apartment was an accomplishment, but, ya know, those were the best times, too. We had our whole lives yet to live, wishes, dreams, and each other. That was all we needed. When we thought we had nothing we already had all we needed. Everything we have, everywhere we've been, everything we've done we've worked for. I tell people all the time if there's a road less traveled, I'll find it. The path I seem to take at any time in my life typically will be the toughest. That's fine. It makes me who I am. It gives me perspective that I need. Our lives aren't fairytale perfect. We've fought and struggled through the years financially and within our marriage. That's all okay, tho, because we're stronger for all of it. I don't whine about what I don't have or how hard the road through life has been. I wear these battle scars like a warrior. I'm proud of all we've done. For a relative to insinuate any less is something I find personally insulting. Regardless of her purpose in making such comments (which really...talk about entitlement issues!) I feel like it belittles my life's achievements. I'm not a successful career woman. I'm no scholar. Not an athlete or any other special kind of achiever. I'm a mom and I'm a wife. Those are the things I've done right. My greatest accomplishment is my family and the life we've made.
So, yeah, for you to say something so sweet.....
.... Thank you, friend. I dunno about all that "beloved around here" stuff.
I think recently I've been a bit of a thorn for some.
I've certainly found wonderful friends, tho. That I have.
Okay, I gotta quit with all this gushy-mushy stuff or I'm gonna start leaking out of my eyeballs again.
