Gwen's Make-A-Wish Trip

The last week in July, we went down to Florida for Gwen's Make-A-Wish trip.  Her recovery from her bone marrow transplant has been amazing and her positive attitude through the whole experience has been inspiring.

We stayed in a village called "Give Kids the World," which provides an incredible experience for children who have suffered severe challenges.  There were many activities to enjoy within the village in addition to our trips to SeaWorld, DisneyWorld and Universal Studios.  Within the village, we enjoyed ice cream shakes at any hour of the day, short lines for pictures with Disney characters, and miniature golf (this picture is how close I got to a hole-in-one on one of the holes - needless to say, Blake didn't stand a chance).

One of the days we went to SeaWorld, where we enjoyed the rides as well as the different shows.  I was especially impressed with the pearl divers and how long they can hold their breath under water.  Other highlights included seeing Gwen, Maddie and my mom get soaked on the front row of the killer whale show and taking a break with my dad and the pregnant ladies.

 

Universal Studios (and Islands of Adventure) with Gwen's special pass that got us to the front of the line for every roller-coaster helped me realize that either I'm getting old or there is a reason that the lines are so long to help you recover between rides.  More than once I had to take a break with my dad and the pregnant ladies while the young kids kept going.  I also had my first butterbear in the Harry Potter portion of the park.  Surprisingly, my mom's favorite ride in Universal Studios was the Simpsons Ride, which is odd considering that we weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons growing up.

 

In DisneyWorld, we enjoyed the Toy Story ride, the Dumbo ride and lunch at Belle's Castle.  Our final trip was to the Animal Kingdom of DisneyWorld, where we enjoyed the safari ride to see all the animals. Unfortunately Sarah wasn't feeling good so she stayed at the village with my dad and missed seeing the animals, which definitely would have been a highlight for her.  Knowing how much she loves animals, I took a bunch of pictures for her (but only included some of them below).

 

  

 

  

 

The highlight of the trip however, was the night when we met up with Gwen's fairy godmother (the sister of her wish-granter from Make-A-Wish who lives in Orlando).  She had arranged with her local church to help Gwen's wish come true (to dance with a prince).  Not only did she get to dance with two princes, she got to have her own parade through the neighborhood.  I was amazed by the kindness of all the people who were there to support Gwen even though they had never met her.  The goodness of people never ceases to inspire me to be better.  Knowing everything that Gwen went through in the past year made it that much sweeter to see her wish come true.