sunnysideup3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2010
Life Goes On...and We Go to Disney World...a Reflective February 2024 PTR 
Hello and Welcome Everyone!
I'm back and doing this for the first time in... forever. I just updated my signature and the last time I was active on here, my kids were 11 and 6. The 11 year old just turned 16 (!) yesterday and my youngest is now 10. When life got busy and the pandemic happened, I forgot what a great community this was and how much I missed it, so I thought what better time to come back then me going back to Walt Disney World for the first time in awhile, and the first Mom/youngest son trip!
Links:
Day 1: Travel Day and Our Resort!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom (and a Day 1 Update- ALREADY!)
The Players:
Me (Jillian):
40 something lady living in Milwaukee, working in child welfare training administration by day, part time Disney travel agent, full time keeper of chaos with 2 very involved kiddos! Pictured with DH, who will not be travelling as he will be working and minding the 12 year old beagle/basset hound at home.
DS (10):
A baseball/lacrosse loving kiddo who has never had a solo trip with anyone and is looking forward to all the NEW stuff since he was last there, which was awhile ago. Is looking forward to TRON, Cosmic Rewind, being tall enough for Rock n' Roller Coaster and eating churros.
Not attending, but will be in the Orlando area at a conference, DS (16):
He's a sophomore, swimmer and track runner who just turned 16 and got his license which is great for the Mom taxi aspect, but not for nerves!
LOOKING BACK
So much in life has changed since I've been last here. Here's where the retrospective part comes in....
Christmas of 2021, my only brother began to succumb to his life-long battle with alcohol addiction. He had recently moved to take a new job, and my parents had travelled down to Milwaukee for the holidays with my family. He wasn't answering calls, texts, etc, so I called in a welfare check. He was found hours from death and brought to the hospital where he was in severe liver failure (amongst other things). He was blessedly transferred to Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee and admitted into the TICU here. After making progress for about 10 days, which were "good days", he began to get more ill and we had to make the difficult decision after 2 1/2 months in the hospital and obvious that he would not recover to disconnect the life stabilizing measures. He passed away peacefully with my parents and I by his side at end of February 2022. He was my only brother and I become a caregiver during that time, so the impact was devastating.
Here's a picture of him and my oldest son at Walt Disney World in 2011:
I had a scheduled trip with my Travel Agency and TA friends in March 2022 and didn't know what life would hold when I scheduled it. After my brother died, I didn't want to go, but everyone encouraged me so I took this very healing trip with them and laughed and cried and did Disney things, but also allowed myself to watch Bridgeton while sitting in bed and eating Disney snacks. It was exactly what I needed right then....
From there, we all knew we didn't want to be home that holiday season, we needed to get out of "the place where the sadness was" the year after everything happened. So my parents and my family took a nice vacation to Disneyland/LA/San Diego. We stayed at the Grand Californian and had 4 park days. It was magical and healing. I know not everyone understand the healing properties of Disney, but for my family over the last couple of years it has been the balm on a couple of rough patches. Here's our family waiting during early entry for Radiator Springs Racers:
LOOKING FORWARD: THE TRIP
So this trip came about because my kiddos have a pretty big age difference, and my oldest is involved and gets a lot of fun opportunities. He will be in Orlando that weekend and going to a conference and when looking up flights for him, saw a pretty affordable option to fly down. My husband recently started at a new job, and with us travelling for spring break, didn't think he could get the time off, but encouraged me to take DS10, since he had off. I thought he and I deserved some solo fun, since let's face it, being the younger brother in someone's shadow isn't always easy.
So we are heading for:
February 15-19, 2024
Port Orleans-Riverside
From here I will talk park plans, our MUST DO items and more! Looking forward to getting to know all of you and having you following along on our new journey!
Hello and Welcome Everyone!
I'm back and doing this for the first time in... forever. I just updated my signature and the last time I was active on here, my kids were 11 and 6. The 11 year old just turned 16 (!) yesterday and my youngest is now 10. When life got busy and the pandemic happened, I forgot what a great community this was and how much I missed it, so I thought what better time to come back then me going back to Walt Disney World for the first time in awhile, and the first Mom/youngest son trip!
Links:
Day 1: Travel Day and Our Resort!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom (and a Day 1 Update- ALREADY!)
The Players:
Me (Jillian):
40 something lady living in Milwaukee, working in child welfare training administration by day, part time Disney travel agent, full time keeper of chaos with 2 very involved kiddos! Pictured with DH, who will not be travelling as he will be working and minding the 12 year old beagle/basset hound at home.
DS (10):
A baseball/lacrosse loving kiddo who has never had a solo trip with anyone and is looking forward to all the NEW stuff since he was last there, which was awhile ago. Is looking forward to TRON, Cosmic Rewind, being tall enough for Rock n' Roller Coaster and eating churros.
Not attending, but will be in the Orlando area at a conference, DS (16):
He's a sophomore, swimmer and track runner who just turned 16 and got his license which is great for the Mom taxi aspect, but not for nerves!
LOOKING BACK
So much in life has changed since I've been last here. Here's where the retrospective part comes in....
Christmas of 2021, my only brother began to succumb to his life-long battle with alcohol addiction. He had recently moved to take a new job, and my parents had travelled down to Milwaukee for the holidays with my family. He wasn't answering calls, texts, etc, so I called in a welfare check. He was found hours from death and brought to the hospital where he was in severe liver failure (amongst other things). He was blessedly transferred to Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee and admitted into the TICU here. After making progress for about 10 days, which were "good days", he began to get more ill and we had to make the difficult decision after 2 1/2 months in the hospital and obvious that he would not recover to disconnect the life stabilizing measures. He passed away peacefully with my parents and I by his side at end of February 2022. He was my only brother and I become a caregiver during that time, so the impact was devastating.
Here's a picture of him and my oldest son at Walt Disney World in 2011:
I had a scheduled trip with my Travel Agency and TA friends in March 2022 and didn't know what life would hold when I scheduled it. After my brother died, I didn't want to go, but everyone encouraged me so I took this very healing trip with them and laughed and cried and did Disney things, but also allowed myself to watch Bridgeton while sitting in bed and eating Disney snacks. It was exactly what I needed right then....
From there, we all knew we didn't want to be home that holiday season, we needed to get out of "the place where the sadness was" the year after everything happened. So my parents and my family took a nice vacation to Disneyland/LA/San Diego. We stayed at the Grand Californian and had 4 park days. It was magical and healing. I know not everyone understand the healing properties of Disney, but for my family over the last couple of years it has been the balm on a couple of rough patches. Here's our family waiting during early entry for Radiator Springs Racers:
LOOKING FORWARD: THE TRIP
So this trip came about because my kiddos have a pretty big age difference, and my oldest is involved and gets a lot of fun opportunities. He will be in Orlando that weekend and going to a conference and when looking up flights for him, saw a pretty affordable option to fly down. My husband recently started at a new job, and with us travelling for spring break, didn't think he could get the time off, but encouraged me to take DS10, since he had off. I thought he and I deserved some solo fun, since let's face it, being the younger brother in someone's shadow isn't always easy.
So we are heading for:
February 15-19, 2024
Port Orleans-Riverside
From here I will talk park plans, our MUST DO items and more! Looking forward to getting to know all of you and having you following along on our new journey!
Last edited:
Also- big hugs to you and so sorry for the loss of your brother. Death caused by alcohol addiction is something I have close experience with as well, and it’s horrendous to watch your loved one be in that state. Hope you are healing 
I'm so sorry about your loss. I know what it's like to have the Parks become a part of the healing journey, and I'm sure a lot of people here can relate as well. It sounds like you have some solid plans already and I'm looking forward to hearing more!
