At the end of November our family had the opportunity to visit the "happiest place on earth" aka Disneyland. Destry's employer paid for part of it and my mom, because of my dad's service in the military, could get discount discount tickets for the rest of the family. It was fun having her with us. Destry's dad and Claudia gave us the money for gas as our Christmas gift. My friend Andrea gave me a tip on a great hotel deal. We told the kids this would be Christmas for this year.
We did have a great time in spite of the insulin pod malfunctioning, the rain, and the illnesses. It was a blessing I had been praying for. I didn't think we would ever have enough money to take the kids to Disneyland again, but the heavens smiled down on us and blessed us through our family and friends to be able to go. We even got to spend a cold, albeit beautiful hour at Huntington beach at sunset when we arrived. Even though my kids are inlanders, they sure do love the beach. They would be happy to stay in a beach house and just play at the beach hour after hour, day after day and do nothing else. I hope to do just that some day. And we got to see a Space Shuttle docked at a museum in Los Angeles as an unplanned bonus because Taylor was sick one night so he and Destry and Sarah, who was tired, hung out at the hotel while the rest of us enjoyed California Adventure's "World of Color." They were surfing the web and found it so we decided to detour there before we went home.
I am so glad we did. I think it was the highlight of our trip for Taylor and Destry. It was another layer to our memorable trip and it was a place of unexpected reverence for me. There were displays and videos to watch before we were ushered into the huge hangar where the space shuttle is housed. As I walked in I had an unexplained feeling of reverence and awe wash over me. My mom started to cry as she was thinking about how much my dad would have loved to have been there. I think he was. We couldn't see him, but I think he was there and we were allowed to feel his presence. I confess, I am not particularly interested in space travel, but it was an experience I will not forget. The shuttle was so large and inspiring, yet looked so fragile. Although it was in a huge echo-y room with dozens of people there was a stillness there. We all felt it. Being there was another testimony to me of our relationship with Deity.
This was not a highlight for my young girls and they were soon bored, but hopefully some day they will appreciate having been there. They did, however, enjoy the magic of Disneyland. For all intents and purposes it was Sarah's first time there because she was too young to remember when she was there before. She is an easy-going soul with few expectations. She had fun doing whatever it was that she was doing, even if it was just waiting with grandma for older, taller people to enjoy a ride she was not yet able to go on. Emma was thrilled she was tall enough to go on everything this time. When she was five and we were there last she was not tall enough for some of the more exciting rides and she shed a few tears. She is somewhat of a thrill seeker. Spencer kept telling me he wanted to move to Disneyland. He would work there in exchange for room and board--sounds like a plan. Taylor, my other easy-going soul, had blood sugar issues most of the trip. He does not complain much, but he did not feel well at all. He didn't, however, want to miss out on anything so we tried to take care of him as best we could. This included pushing him in the wheelchair we rented for grandma when grandma, the two younger girls and I decided to go back to the hotel to dry off when the two youngsters were reduced to tears because they were wet and cold.
While the rest of us walked or rode in a wheelchair Estelle would do cartwheels down the walk- ways to our next magical adventure. She bravely went on California Screamin', but cried the whole time. I was proud of her for even getting on, I knew that was not her thing, but I was heartbroken that it was so miserable for her. At least this did not stop her from turning cartwheels for the rest of the day. It puts a smile on my face even now to picture her cartwheeling in Disneyland. I get an even bigger smile when I think of what she said to me the other day.
"Mom," she said, "I am going to do cartwheels when I get welcomed into heaven."
I love that statement on so many levels. I love that she pictures herself being "welcomed into heaven." Perhaps she envisions the heavens welcoming her like the welcoming view at the gates of Disneyland. Perhaps she will be in a parade with all of her ancestors cartwheeling down the street among the hosts of heaven. Perhaps it will be more like a surprise party with those awaiting her arrival hiding and jumping out to welcome her to her next estate. Perhaps after warm embraces from her Savior and loved ones she will be so overjoyed she will have to do cartwheels. I love that there is no fear in that statement, only love and warmth and joy.
Heaven is a welcoming place to look forward to, like we looked forward to our Disneyland vacation. To me family vacations are a little bit of heaven. Spending "unplugged" time with the people I love most, without having to worry about the day to day grind and with fewer distractions from each other is truly a welcomed bit of heaven. Fond family memories makes me want to cartwheel too. Maybe some day, many, many years from now I will do cartwheels to welcome her into heaven.
We did have a great time in spite of the insulin pod malfunctioning, the rain, and the illnesses. It was a blessing I had been praying for. I didn't think we would ever have enough money to take the kids to Disneyland again, but the heavens smiled down on us and blessed us through our family and friends to be able to go. We even got to spend a cold, albeit beautiful hour at Huntington beach at sunset when we arrived. Even though my kids are inlanders, they sure do love the beach. They would be happy to stay in a beach house and just play at the beach hour after hour, day after day and do nothing else. I hope to do just that some day. And we got to see a Space Shuttle docked at a museum in Los Angeles as an unplanned bonus because Taylor was sick one night so he and Destry and Sarah, who was tired, hung out at the hotel while the rest of us enjoyed California Adventure's "World of Color." They were surfing the web and found it so we decided to detour there before we went home.
I am so glad we did. I think it was the highlight of our trip for Taylor and Destry. It was another layer to our memorable trip and it was a place of unexpected reverence for me. There were displays and videos to watch before we were ushered into the huge hangar where the space shuttle is housed. As I walked in I had an unexplained feeling of reverence and awe wash over me. My mom started to cry as she was thinking about how much my dad would have loved to have been there. I think he was. We couldn't see him, but I think he was there and we were allowed to feel his presence. I confess, I am not particularly interested in space travel, but it was an experience I will not forget. The shuttle was so large and inspiring, yet looked so fragile. Although it was in a huge echo-y room with dozens of people there was a stillness there. We all felt it. Being there was another testimony to me of our relationship with Deity.
This was not a highlight for my young girls and they were soon bored, but hopefully some day they will appreciate having been there. They did, however, enjoy the magic of Disneyland. For all intents and purposes it was Sarah's first time there because she was too young to remember when she was there before. She is an easy-going soul with few expectations. She had fun doing whatever it was that she was doing, even if it was just waiting with grandma for older, taller people to enjoy a ride she was not yet able to go on. Emma was thrilled she was tall enough to go on everything this time. When she was five and we were there last she was not tall enough for some of the more exciting rides and she shed a few tears. She is somewhat of a thrill seeker. Spencer kept telling me he wanted to move to Disneyland. He would work there in exchange for room and board--sounds like a plan. Taylor, my other easy-going soul, had blood sugar issues most of the trip. He does not complain much, but he did not feel well at all. He didn't, however, want to miss out on anything so we tried to take care of him as best we could. This included pushing him in the wheelchair we rented for grandma when grandma, the two younger girls and I decided to go back to the hotel to dry off when the two youngsters were reduced to tears because they were wet and cold.
While the rest of us walked or rode in a wheelchair Estelle would do cartwheels down the walk- ways to our next magical adventure. She bravely went on California Screamin', but cried the whole time. I was proud of her for even getting on, I knew that was not her thing, but I was heartbroken that it was so miserable for her. At least this did not stop her from turning cartwheels for the rest of the day. It puts a smile on my face even now to picture her cartwheeling in Disneyland. I get an even bigger smile when I think of what she said to me the other day.
"Mom," she said, "I am going to do cartwheels when I get welcomed into heaven."
I love that statement on so many levels. I love that she pictures herself being "welcomed into heaven." Perhaps she envisions the heavens welcoming her like the welcoming view at the gates of Disneyland. Perhaps she will be in a parade with all of her ancestors cartwheeling down the street among the hosts of heaven. Perhaps it will be more like a surprise party with those awaiting her arrival hiding and jumping out to welcome her to her next estate. Perhaps after warm embraces from her Savior and loved ones she will be so overjoyed she will have to do cartwheels. I love that there is no fear in that statement, only love and warmth and joy.
Heaven is a welcoming place to look forward to, like we looked forward to our Disneyland vacation. To me family vacations are a little bit of heaven. Spending "unplugged" time with the people I love most, without having to worry about the day to day grind and with fewer distractions from each other is truly a welcomed bit of heaven. Fond family memories makes me want to cartwheel too. Maybe some day, many, many years from now I will do cartwheels to welcome her into heaven.
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