Dear Life,
I am so sorry for neglecting my blog. Kumaka was terribly sick the week before his Make a Wish trip. And then we were off...on the greatest adventure our family has ever been on.
First...the limo came. Yes...I said limo.
Then...we went off on an airplane. Three of my kids have never ever been on a plane...our whole family has never flown together anywhere.
Then...we made it to Florida and after getting a little lost we found Give Kids the World, the village we were blessed to stay at for the week.
We slept...and then got up to eat at the Gingerbread House.
Then...we had ice cream. For breakfast. (The ice cream shop is open from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm...they ate ice cream for breakfast every day)
The whole week was magical....and amazing. There were times I cried. Like the ugly kind as I thanked a Disney cast member for her wonderful treatment of our boy.
Disney World BLEW. MY. MIND. So magical....we loved it. And we somehow made it to ALL the parks even if it was just for a bit.
I was so very touched by the amount of people that volunteered at Give Kids the World. There are a little over 100 full time employees...and around 1500 employees a month. Meeting all of the wonderful people that took time out of their lives to serve was amazing. There were retired people, college people, families on vacation. The very last day we were at Give Kids the World and went into a room that told us all about Henri Landworth, his life as a Nazi Germany concentration camp survivor, and how he came to America and created this wonderful place. You can read about Give Kids the World HERE. We were given a week to play, laugh, and enjoy our family without thinking about hospitals, broken legs, and any of that. Kumaka had the week of a lifetime. And our family learned something...the importance of giving back. We have made a family commitment to do some kind of service to others at least once a month. We also would love to go back to Give Kids the World and volunteer.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Dear Life,
I was blog hopping...and found this super cute blog called These are the Moments. Holly had a great list of things she wants to do in her lifetime. I have to admit that when I was younger I never thought past what I had to do and when I had to do it. I had tunnel vision...I was short sighted....and I didn't allow myself to dream. I just assumed I would never do or see most of the things the world has to offer. I think I was afraid to dream....
Over the years I have learned to ALWAYS dream. Living your life in fear is not living. Watching other people live is not living. Dreaming and believing big is OK....it is the only way things happen!
With that being said, I have learned that your dreams can happen but not necessarily the way you think they are going to happen.
I've ALWAYS wanted to go to Hawaii. ALWAYS. Do you know how many times I have rolled my eyes when people ask me how many times I've been to Hawaii. About a million. After 18 years of marriage TO a Hawaiian man...and having five children with Hawaiian names...and learning all about the culture....I finally get to go. Did I think it would take this long? NO. Did I think it would be with only half of my family? NO. Did I think it would be because I am leaving my oldest son there to go to school? NOOOOO. (Sniff....One month....my heart is breaking) But I am going. And I can't wait!
Another thing I've wanted to do since before I even knew my husband was go to DisneyWorld. Now if you aren't a Disney freak like me, you would skip this. And if you live in Southern California like I do, and been to Disneyland a billion times like we have, you would wonder WHY on earth this is even on your list. I can't explain it...I can only say it's something that I have always wanted to do. Disney is something our family just loves...our kids have grown up at the park, watching the movies, and believing in the magic. But that trip is not something I have ever ever planned. Something about flying...and having seven people in my family....and I'm not independently wealthy.
And then we got a letter last December.
Kumaka is being granted a wish. I cried. When the wish grantors came to talk to him (he calls them his wish fairies) he told them how much he loves the princesses, the castle, and Disney.
He is being granted a wish to DisneyWorld. And we get to travel with him. And the biggest blessing of all is that Keoni will be able to go with us. (He's almost too old...because he was seventeen when we received the letter, he is still eligible to attend the trip with us). That was huge for us...because Keoni has really had to grow up quick...6 years ago his life changed. He had to babysit a lot, he had to help out when his mommy was checked out trying to figure out how to wrap her brain around this little thing called Spina Bifida. He has had to step in when we are in the hospital; and he notices how many times we are gone.
Because of Kumaka's surgery and subsequent broken leg, we are not going until December. The date we were given just happens to be the week of Kumaka's sixth birthday. So in December, our family is being blessed with a magical week at the happiest place on earth.
This is not how I ever expected to be going to DisneyWorld. But what a blessing this is. And because this has been a particularly difficult year for Kumaka, this will be the perfect thing to lift him up.
Kumaka has been in a spica cast from his hips to his toes for four months. FOUR MONTHS. This boy is so patient. He rarely complains. He has even learned to hold on to the bar between his legs to sit up. His abs will be crazy strong. I am so happy that he will get this birthday getaway...and we get to spend this time as a family just enjoying each other.
Dreams come true. Not in the way you expect. But they do come true. So I have decided that I will never limit my dreams....and I will always work hard to find ways to make them become a reality.
