Summmary

Okay , anybody know what happened to Day five????

Day Five was Mother's day... so quickly we started at Our Lady Shrine with mass and it was wonderful. They had 10,000 roses representing prayers for mothers from all over the world. The statues of St Joseph and JPII were amazing. We then went to Disney downtown and the Planet Hollywood . Again it was magical.. If I can I'll get the kids to fill in the details of the day....

Theresa-Marie: Mary-Kate, Isaac, and I went off on our own in the afternoon, and as we wandered, we caught sight of a new attraction: a trip to Narnia, and in a different section, you could meet Prince Caspian! If you know me, you'll know I want to marry him... So we got in the line to meet him. Finally we were next in line - and Isaac's nose starts bleeding. All I had were some definitely overused tissues, but I handed them over, and he stuffed them up his nose, and left it hanging there when we went in to see Prince Caspian, "For memory's sake", he said. Prince Caspian told us we were the most interesting picture he had ever taken, thanks to the bloody kleenex. As we posed for the picture, Prince Caspian offered me his arm, which I took (of course), and all was going well, but then Isaac decided he wanted to hold Prince Caspian's other arm... Prince Caspian got very embarrassed and would not let Isaac take his arm for the picture, and then (horror of horrors), as we were leaving, Isaac asked Prince Caspian for a KISS!
Prince Caspian gently refused (if he hadn't I was next in line!), and most probably heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of the door closing behind us. (Also today Dad, Isaac, and I went on the "Tower of Terror" and the "Rock 'n Roller Coaster", which were both incredible)

Our supper at the 50's resturant with a waitress like Laverne & Shirley was wonderful and fun. We then went to Fantasmic in the park which was something like you have never seen or imagine....

Day Seven, we celebrated Mary-Kate's birthday and then had a series of near misses , but fortunately made it to Toronto at 12:45 am. Remember when you are traveling from a hot place you shouldn't pack everyone's coats away ... dahhh,..

We had pizza at 2am in the hotel room and then to sleep and await the Disney Express in the morning.

The reason we haven't been on is because before the bus arrived we were hit by a flu/food poisoning that has just let up. The blessing is we were on our way home and it really didn't hurt the trip at all. Just one more event to mark this special memory.


Brian says: Day five was Mother's Day and being able to go to Church at Our Lady of the Universe Shrine was a real gift. I was able to arrange two taxi vans to take us there. What a beautiful church and a wonderful celebration of mass for Mother's Day. 10,000 roses on the alter!!! Cindy's only request that day was to eat supper somewhere fun. The 50's Cafe turned out to be the perfect place. Our waitress was Adrienne. She played the part of a waitress with attitude to a tee. She began by picking on Mikaila because she stood and walked along the bench to change seats. Mikaila hid in Mary-Kates armpit for most of the night with Adrienne trying to win her over which she eventually did with a few extra treats. When it didn't work with Mikaila, Adrienne began to pick on Jacinta and demand that she start helping her set the table and serve the food. This continued through the meal and at one point Jacinta said, "I want to ask her for some water but I'm afraid to." At the end of the meal Adrienne demanded that Jacinta scrap the plates and gather the cups. Jacinta scraped all the plates into one and then gave everyone their plates back! Adrienne was not impressed. She took the table scraps and left. Five minutes later she said she had a special desert and presented Jacinta with the plate of scraps topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. To everyone's surprise, Jacinta took a big scoop and put it in her mouth. We were all howling as Adrienne's eyes almost popped out of her head. Jacinta told her she wasn't much of a cook. The mashed potatoes and whipped cream really didn't taste all that good.

Day Seven: The Kids did a great job of packing up. It took us three days to pack to go the Disney World and only 2 hours to come home. We finished up our holiday with one more trip to the Magic Kingdom. Lunch at Tony's Town Square was great. It's a good thing because the kids didn't eat again till we got to our hotel in Toronto at about 1:00 in the morning. We had planned on eating supper in Chicago because we had a one hour wait. But our flight was delayed in Orlando for one and a half hours. When the plane finally landed in Chicago, just as it stopped the pilot announced that the party going to Toronto had to proceed immediately to gate 19 because the plane was waiting. We obviously couldn't stop to buy supper. That was okay for Cindy and I because we had been bumped up to Business Class and were wined and dined in style. It's a good thing I had bought some snacks before I left so we had something to give the kids. We must have been quite a sight running through the O'Hare Airport in Chicago. We were lead to Gate 19 by a porter pushing Cindy in a wheel chair. He was in high gear because the plane had boarded about 30 minutes before. Therer were thirteen, strung out in a line carrying our carry ons, guitars, jimbe, strollers and babies, chasing the porter and the wheel chair. Believe it or not, gate 19 is the very last gate at the far end of the airport. When we finally got there, the attendent didn't even check our boarding passes. She just said, "You're the fourteen. Quick. Get on the plane and take any vacant seat." Of course, the first two seats that Mikala and Jacab came to were those in Business class. They sat in them until we hussled them back to economy!

Overall, this was a holiday we could have never taken with our children. It was completely gift and we are so thankful for all who made it possible. Truly, dreams can come true!

Cindy-Lee Says:
Disney World was Magical. It was everything good the world has to offer outside of the Lord. We had meals and special times that will carry us through the darkest of nights. I was and am so thankful. It was truly a gift from God that will be cherished forver. Our children lived up to everything good that people say about them but what as a mother you kind of wonder... they were amazing to each other and to me. We are so blessed.. thank you all of you who made this possible.. May the Lord bless you hundred fold!!!!

Theresa-Marie: After lunch at Tony's (from Lady and the Tramp), and stopping at the hat shop to buy everyone a hat, we realized we were almost going to be late getting back to the Outpost for our bus to the airport, so Anna-Michelle and I took Mary-Frances, Mikaila, and Zachariah ahead of everyone else (we'd lost Mary-Kate somewhere). The five of us made it shortly before the bus, and then waited for a panicked twenty minutes, hoping the bus wouldn't leave without the rest of our crew. The awesome bus driver (Merry) waited as long as she could, then told me to get the luggage. I was panicking, and my prayer was, "Okay God, I can't be responsible for three little kids and over 14 pieces of luggage, so please just get them here in time". Just then I a Monarch butterfly alighted from it's place on a nearby bush, and circled me once before returning to it's resting place. I felt peace. Just then Anna-Michelle yelled, "They're here!"

Theresa-Marie again: Once last story. After we had all piled onto the bus, and Merry (the bus driver) took her place in the driver's seat and we were finally on our way home, Merry asked, "So where are you from?"
Mom replied, "Northern Ontario."
Too excited to keep still, Mikaila helpfully and shrilly piped up, "We're the last house on the right!"
It was the perfect ending to our incredible and dream fulfilling trip. As Mickey said over and over, "DREAMS COME TRUE!" Thank you so much for helping make my family's dream come true. God bless.

Jacinta: On the second last day, Chrissy and I took her little boys (Elijah, 7 weeks, and Zachariah, 2) back to the animal kingdom to see the hippos. We walked around and looked at all the animals - it was awesome. We saw hippos, giraffe-like things, monkeys, gorillas, ducks (just ordinary ducks that we could see everyday but they were definitely Zachariah's favourite. When we got back from the park, I asked him what his favourite animal that we saw was and all he kept saying was 'Duck. Duck.'

Jacinta: On the last day after lunch at Tony's, I realized I hadn't gotten Tim (my fiancee) a souvenier and Josh hadn't gotten anything for Elijah (his baby). Josh and I ran (while T-M took the kids to the bus) back to the store and frantically searched. It ended well though and Josh and I both got what we needed...BUT, the most interesting part of this day was sitting on the back of the plane with Mary-Frances. We were both starving because we had eaten lunch at 11:30 and it was now close to 8:30 at night. I sent Mary-Frances up to tell our parents we needed food and she reported back that Mom and Dad were eating - and just having a merry ol' time. I went to investigate and found both my parents sitting in first class SIPPING WINE! All the kids were at the back starving...nice! =)

Jacinta: Overall, it was more than I could have possibly imagined. Before we left, I was scared to imagine what it would be like because I didn't want to be disappointed. But, there was no room for disappointment in our whole trip. It was so amazing! Thanks to everyone who helped make this dream come true - it truly was the trip of a lifetime...Now, we're just waiting for our miracle.

Mary-Kate: It was magical! What more can be said...

Mary-Kate Day 5: I chose again for part of the day to stick with the little girls and my mom. We did lots of fun stuff but my favourite was the Little mermaid ride. It was a play with lots of cool effects to make you feel underwater. Mikaila and Mary-Frances exclaimed over everything, pointing and giggling and moving and standing up in their chairs. Mikaila at one point explained to me that she knew the bad person was coming so she grabbed my hand because there was green smoke. She whispered in my ear that there is always green smoke when the bad guys come.
Mary-Kate Day 7: This was my birthday adn although we were leaving it was a wonderful birthday. The morning me and Theresa-marie went to the haunted house. I was so brave!!!! We spent the whole morning shopping with my birthday gift card. And of course the travelling in the airport was fun, as was meeting Merry Poppins and when me and Theresa-Marie stood in line with a bunch of little girls to meet the fairy Godmother.. hehe! It was wonderful.

Anna-Michelle: Agian me and Jacinta ended up waiting alittle over an1/2 hour for the rest of the family to make our dinner reservations...no comment...we got to see some princesses...that was alot of fun.

Anna-Michelle: WATER PARK!!! Second time during the trip, we went on all the rides again except this time with Josh. When Chrissy and Jacinta showed up they wanted to go, so T.T and I tagged along with the baby taking turns holding him and going on the rides with them. We got back to the wave pool and Jacinta, Chrissy and I went in...Chrissy was alittle nervous at first, but got over it fast after the fifth wave...lol

Anna-Michelle: It was upsetting to leave, we just started getting to know our way around the parks and our time was up. Lunch and Tony's was fun...exciting food was amazing as always. We all went to the store after and brought a baseball cap or sometype of hat...running around the airport...waiting through the delay...it was all a blast of memories. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE...IT TRULY WAS A DREAM COME TRUE!!!

Isaac: Uhhhhh..... I don't really know what my favorite part of this day was. At one point some random guy in the airport walked up to me and started asking me questions like"do you have any hobbies?" and "do you like sports?". then he wanted to meet my parents and I just met this guy like, two minutes before. It was really ackward. but funny. I never even learnt his name.

Day Six: Where ever you wanted and Mary-Frances Birthday

Mary-Kate: My favourite part of this day was Mary-Frances pride in her birthday. Her face would light up with every person's birthday wish. In the morning as we were getting off the ferry to enter Magic Kingdom, the ferry man told us all to have a magical day. Mary Frances replied with her chest puffed out "I'm going to have a magical day because it's my birthday!" Later on, in attempt for me to take her to spend the afternoon at the waterpark... we spent two hours on different buses only to end up back at the vabins swimming in the outdoor pool. Even with spending alll that free time on the bus the birthday girl was still all shy smiles and pride because she was nine years old!

Jacinta: One of my favourites would have to be the same as Anna-Michelle's. It was so funny with Jacob -then being so scared. My other favourite would be the picture taken in the 'Tower of Terror'. I was holding Anna-Michelle's hand with two fists screaming with my mouth wide open. Anna-Michelle also had her mouth wide open but was screaming into my ear...it was sweet!

Mary-Kate: My favourite part of this day was watching the little mermaid show with Mikaila and Mary Frances. I spent the afternoon with the girls to avoid the scarier rides everyone else was enjoying and they were adorable. Mikaila was jumping in and out of her seat yelling and making fists at Ursala the evil witch. Bouncing up and down at the water and giggling when the mist sprayed us/ Halfway through MF, who was turning nine the next day and feeling very mature, leaned over and whispered in my ear... 'I know the dogs not real... but I just can't figure out the prince and Ariel...'

Anna-Michelle: My favorite part was going the waiting line to the "Haunted Elevator", free fallin an elevator 13 floors (or so we thought). Anyways, I was with Jacinta and Jacob and Jacob was terrified, saying things like he was going to die, pee him self and plummeting to his death was not on his to-do-list. Jacinta and I couldn't stop laughing, we asked the guy at the front where he could exit and he said when u get to the entrance of the elevator tell the lady u want off. Well, going up into a room there was a lady and Jacob jumped right on it "I don't want on" she gave him a weird look and said "this is the labrary the elevator is up a ways." We laughted really hard because he was so scared. We got to the top and Jacob found the lady, me and Jacinta went to get on and realized we weren't as brave as we thought with out Jacob being there, and as scared as he was. We went on and scream at radom things that weren't even scary, the anticipation for the fall was the worst part, cause u didn't know when it would happen. IT WAS AWESOME!!! NO REGRETS...except for I wish I had packed an extra pair of shorts...to give to Jacinta.

Isaac: I really enjoyed the rock 'n roller coaster . zero to sixty in 2.8 seconds. fun stuff.

Day Four Typhoon Lagoon & Epcot

Today started a little later and we started it at Typhoon Lagoon! Everyoe suited up and loaded on the lotion. We then went home and changed and rushed to make our dinner reservations at in Paris. The day ended with fiire works.... now everyone's memories:

Brian Says:

Cindy-Lee says: Okay my funniest memory today was the french resturant. We we're actually late and had run all through Epcot to get there. At the resturant the waiter spoke little English so naturally everyone thought I would translate. However with chemo I couldn't understand much of what he said. So every time he would come and speak and leave and then would just nod my head... It was very funny! I told them he was just whispering sweet french nothings in my ear. And then I laughed so hard I had to leave for the washroom..... if you get my drift... great memory!

Theresa-Marie: Definitely Mom at the French resturaunt is one of my top memories. On par with that is the memory of Jacob, Isaac, Anna-Michelle, Dad, and me going on all the water park slides. One ride was three tubes of water down a five-story drop. We made the boys go first, and Jacob was terrified. His face kept getting paler as we got closer. Finally it was his turn, and he sat down on the water slide, and kept a death grip on the slide as he waited for the signal to push off. The light turned green, and he shuffled forward on his bottom, then paused, shuffled forward, then paused. Finally, as we screamed encouragement, he ever so slowly pushed off. We could hear the scraping screeching sound of skin on slide as he tried to slow his descent, then the shriek of terror as he finally let go. It was hilarious.

Jacinta: I relaxed at the cabin for a few hours, which was a good thing, because then Anna-Michelle and I ended up waiting at the French resturaunt for an hour trying to communicate with a french waiter who couldn't speak English, and we couldn't speak French. (ps. I love you, Tim)

Mary-Kate: This day had a lot of mishaps that were hilarious. The French resturant where the guy thought my mom could speak French. We all lined up for Soaring this day too and cuz of the way we got there, four of us were farther up in the line. They kept their place and for the hour long wait we played games back and forth over the heads of crowd. It made the wait very entertaining for us and for the people around us. Hehe it was so much fun! And then later on, J osh was pushing my dad around in my mom's wheelchair when she was in the bathroom and going around the corner the wheel popped offf. My mom had to walk to the bus, which wasn't as funny, but the look on my Dad and Josh's faces as my mom came up and they started giggling, it was priceless.

Anna-Michelle: I really enjoyed the water park, Jacob is so funny when his terrified and trying not to show it. But hanging with Jacinta at Epcot was also one of my favorite parts of the day. Waiting the hour for my parents and the rest of the family to come to the resturant and having the french waiter talk to us and ask us question which we couldn't understand. NA when the family got there, my mom pretending to understand what he was saying when he was specking french to her by nodding her head as a reply to the question she didn't get. And after he left, laughing and telling us he was saying sweet pick-up lines in her ear. GreaT TimesS!!!!

Isaac: One of my favorite parts was when, while waiting for my mom to come out of the washroom dad wanted a ride in the wheelchair. so Dad got in and josh started to pushhim around and they were using the lockers thta were there as a racetrack.i was getting a drink at the time adn i got back just as Dad jumped off the wheelchair and josh looked like he was going to wet himself from laughing so hard. they had turned a corner to sharp and had ripped the tire right off.it was funny and mom had to walk until they had got the tire back on.

Day Three: Animal Kingdom

The kids slept in till 7:30 this morning. We were on our way about 8:30 to the Animal Kingdom. The bus system is amazing both in the camp ground and in Disney World. Our first stop was Kilimanjaro Safari where an open air Monster Truck took us through the wilds of Africa. Quite a story with lots of excitement. In the early afternoon we saw the most amazing show - Finding Nemo - The Musical. We had front row seats. It was absolutley outstanding - the costumes were amazing, the light effects were great and the singing - excellent. Zachariah slept right through it but the rest of us sat there with our mouths open in awe. Definately my highlight. We also saw The Lion King Show. Again, no wait and front row seats. The Lord continues to bless and spoil us. The show was was low tech but had a lot of audience participation, amazing dancing and fantastic harmony. Dinner at Tuskers was very good - a taste of Africa. We came home after dinner for a swim and to put the little ones to bed. Everyone from Jacob up, has returned to Epcot Centre to spend the evening. Cindy and I are staying behind tonight. A little down time together is just what we need! The kids can fill in their highlights later. Brian

Cindy says: For me too the shows were amazing. How we just seemed to show up at the right time and be escorted to the best seats... What an amazing God we serve. Twice when we arived at stations for buses an empty one would pull up and pick just us up to take us to the next thing on our agenda The kids have been amazing.. whether it be pushing their mother in the wheel chair, ( why couldn't I be one of the skinny cancer patients), holding my arm while Iwalk, getting me drinks and looking out for each other for me! We are so blessed in our children... Our prayer time before they headed out was wonderful! I didn't nap today and am very tired. God Bless

Josh, Chrissy and Zacheriah

Theresa-Marie

Jacinta: My favourite part of yesterday was going with Mary-Frances on the rollercoster. Instead of watching the ride, I just watched her face...it was comical! It would cycle through expressions of fear, excitement, joy, and complete horror!! Also, sitting with Theresa-Marie on the Everest ride was pretty sweet...it was so scary!!

Mary-Kate: My favourite was running around with Mikaila when all the older kids went on a roller coaster... she was too short and I was too scared... we rode a dinosour, climbed these weird rope things and then watched the parade with her. Me and her would run down along the parade line trying to get the characters to high five her. The excitement was contagious!! I loved every minute.

anna-michelle

Isaac: One of my favorite parts was later, when the older kids left because the little girls and zacheriah were in bed. We went to watch a 3D movie and at one point they let a whole bunch of mice loose in the show.you could hear them squeaking all over the theater and it felt like you could feel them running along your legs. Anna-Michelle screamed, lifted her legs off the floor, closed her eyes, and plugged her ears. it was funny. that part made my whole day.

Day Two The Magic Kingdom

Everyone was up bright and early and excited. We took the bus and ferry and landed at the bade of Magic Kingdom. Seeing the Castle was Magical... Happy Birthday Chrissy!
So here is everyone's favotrite part of the day:

Brian says: Splash Mountain was a blast. It tells the story of Brier Rabbit as you float through tunnels filled with characters telling the story. It ends in a five story drop down a water slide in the boat. They caught a picture of us as we began to drop. Isaac has his hands up, A-M her mouth wide open in a yell - actually everyone did with the exception of Mary-Kate. She has her head tucked behind Jancinta's shoulder.

Cindy-Lee says: The Dream A-long With Me Musical in front of the castle was amazing. As Mickey and Minnie, and princessses & princes led us through yelling.. Dreams Can Come True brought tears to my joyfilled heart.

Josh, Chrissy, Elijah and Zachariah say: Hundred acre woods play area with Zachariah, there was section where water squirted up randomly from five spot on the floor. It was a comical rest for everyone as we watch Zach try to catch the water, and hilarious surprise when he actually caught it (with his face)

Theresa-Marie: My favourite part was any time the princesses came. The "Dream Along with Mickey" show was the first time they came out, and when I saw Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, (and their princes), I got choked up. The little girl inside of me was screaming and jumping up and down with excitement, but the grown-up me just watched with tears in her eyes.

Jacinta: Watchin g Mary-Frances and Mikaila during the whole day...their faces were always lit up with immense joy! At the 3D movie where things look like they're coming towards you, Mary-Frances reached forward so much that she fell off her seat. Mikaila tried reaching from her seat but wasn't content. She stood up and reached towards the screen; soon, she was reaching inbetween the two seats in front of her, flailing her arms in between the two people. It was really funny - and made the show much more enjoyable.

Mary-Kate: Normally, the worst part about being one of the last to tell a story is that all the good ones have been taken already, but this time its not the case. There are so many favorites! I loved riding on the giant tea cups but most especially, the show where Mickey Mouse and Minnie sang about dreams coming true. I hate to admit it, but I even teared up a little.

Anna-Michelle: During one of the many parades with the princesses and their princes, one of the ugly step-sisters walked up to Jacob and gave him a cute little finger wave, she then asked if he was rich and and he said "no." She said "Than I can't marry you" and backed off and blew him a kiss. It was so funny. Jacob went a deep red.

Isaac: im last and we gotta leave for a safari thing so i have to be short. i think my favorite part was when we took zacheriah,mary frances, and mikaila on a liittle roller coaster ride. i looked back at one point and, zach was hiding his head in joshes armpit, mikaila was screaming with joy, and mary frances was crying. it was hystarical, and loads of fun.

Jacob: Going over the edge of splash mountain.

Mary-Frances: Pirates of the Carribean, She was scared for the dark part, but really enjoy seeing the pirates loot, steal, sing and fight.

Mikaila: Parade of lights at night with Ariel, the little mermaid, and the fairies from sleeping beauty. "Ariel's witch, (Ursala) came over and pointed to a little girl and said "Brat". I'm the only person who heard her.

Day one & thank you

Okay just a few memories of our first day of travel... okay it was long and yes my brother John was right that giving every kid their own suitcase might not have been the best idea. You should have seen us parading through the airport.... Suitcases, carry ons, guitar, jimbe, oxygen, ..... and no we didn't lose anyone... Theresa-Marie got stopped at customs with my oxygen but we had gone on ahead. The lady was very suspicious as T-M didn't know about the doctor's orders etc... Finally she got through.... A lady in Timmy's in Barrie recognised us from TV and told us to have a great trip....
Jacob whooped and hollered for the first take off! Mikaila's smiled and Mary-Frances 's eyes just got big. From our other travelling party, Zachariah was not impressed with the touch downs.
Taking the bus from the airport, Mary-Frances saw a golf course being watered by a sprinkler system. She asked if that was the water park... Cute eh? They really had no idea....
When we all finally arrived at our cabins, two hours apart, and luggage three hours later. We were tired but thankful to actually be in Disneyworld. We had an awesome prayer time. The lodge where we registered is old frontier style and made me remember my dad and how happy he would be!


THANK S TO ALL WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE:

ANGELS ANONYMOUS CONNECTION FOR TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE AND ALL THOSE WHO SUPPORTRED THEM IN MAKING THIS DREAM A REALITY.. (SJSH & FRIENDS) THEY COVERED CABINS AND PARK PASSES.

PAUL & JOANNE STEWART( TROUT LAKE PAINT)
& DAVE AND LAUREL SCOTT ( BARRYDOWNE PAINT) FOR USING THEIR AIRMILES TO COVER ALL THE AIRFARES!

MARY THOMAS AND THE PROCATHEDRAL SPAGHETTI DINNER FOR THE MEALS. AND THE MANY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES WHO SENT SUPPORT AND PRAYERS....

CHISHOLM BUS LINES FOR THEIR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION AND GETTING US TO AND FROM THE TORONTO AIRPORT SAFELY!!

We truly experienced God's Glory in everyone's generosity. It was and is amazing!

God Bless
Cindy-Lee

( I'm too tired to write about today now but it was amazing and wonderful and ... you get the picture... )

HEy we are getting ready for disney land!!!

Well, we are getting packed today. The oldest girls(Chrissy, T-m, Jacinta) are getting their hair cut and doing some last minute shopping. The rest of us are packing and resting as dreams of Mickey and Minnie Mouse float through our heads. Mikaila could swear that Tinker Bell flew by her window last night! We will be going to bed early today as our bus leave at 4:00 am Wednesday morning. Our planes leave at 10:00am(for Brian, Cindy,T-M, Jacinta, A-M, Jacob, M-F, Mikaila) from Toronto to Chicago, then onto Florida, and 10:25 am(for Josh Chrissy, M-K, Isaac, Zachariah, and Elijah) going from Toronto to New-York, then onto Florida. For some of the kids, it is their first time on a real school bus and on a plane.