Tuesday I got the van packed and we were on the road by 1pm. The original plan was to drive to Andy's in Russellville to help celebrate Katie's 18th BD, spend the night, and then continue to Little Rock to catch our flight on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the sickness bugs were residing at their house and all considered it prudent to not spend the night there. So, we drove to their house, dropped off a few items and drove to Morrillton for the night. We stopped for dinner at Colton's and Sandy ordered ribs, which is an accomplishment for her.
Wednesday we were up in time to drive to Little Rock, drop the van off at a park and ride hotel and arrive with plenty of time at the airport. Sandy got the wheelchair treatment; I just tag along. We had over a three hour layover in Las Vegas; this is where long good books are most useful. We arrived in Orange County on time and were met by Cynthia and Jim who chauffeured us to our lodgings. We stopped by In and Out Burger for a quick dinner and then got to GG's where we are staying.
Thursday was a lazy day. I got up and ran and did some shopping so we have food to eat. Cynthia and Jim invited us to an American Legion dinner that evening. The food was tasty and the program very enlightening. One member gave a presentation on a bracelet his father had made from a Japanese airplane shot down over Pearl Harbor in 1941 and which he gave to his wife. His Dad was stationed at Pearl Harbor as a Marine and the bracelet has survived all these years. The son is now remaking exact replicas of these 'Hero's Heart' bracelets and donating the proceeds to veterans. He also introduced another attendee who was an Auschwitz survivor. It was unclear what nationality he was, but as a young teenager he was captured by the Germans and spent about 18 months as a POW in six different camps, to include Auschwitz. At one point he was sentenced to be hung at day's end. The leader in charge looked at him, asked his age, and when he learned he was only 14 1/2 he told him he was too young to hang. He went on to live in England, immigrate to the US and then was drafted to fight during the Korean Conflict. I was saddened he did have more time to relate his story. He is in his 90's and was still very articulate.
Friday morning I was up early and on the road to Anaheim by 6:15 to join up with Adam's family and his in-laws. I love Californian drivers; they can't read numbers. The speed limit may be 65, but you would not know it! I am forced to keep up with traffic so I don't impede traffic; it is really very sad (not). Only takes about 25 minutes to drive the 21 miles and be at their hotel across the street from Disneyland. I will spare the details, but we were at the gate an hour before they opened at 9am and I did not leave until 8 pm.
The weather was perfect, the children were amazing and a good time was had by all. Did I mention that Savannah did just about all the rides even though she was nursing a six week old daughter and managing our activities?
Saturday, was a repeat of the previous day, except I did not arrive in time to walk to the park with the family; I showed up 30 minutes later. Disney opens the park gates 30 minutes prior to the rides starting and allow visitors to gather at the entrance of the different park sections until the actual opening time. We spent all of Friday at Disneyland and Saturday we started at Disney California Adventure and were chosen the family to open the park! Once in the park, we bounced between the two parks. A couple of rides I opted out of. Savannah is the Disney Queen and knows how to use the app to our advantage. Baby Liza was not able to go all rides, so there was a need for someone to manage her and the other younger girls if necessary. With 5 adults and 5 children with 3 strollers, it was easy to manage our group. I do not necessarily like roller coasters, but somehow found myself on the IncrediCoaster; lots of twists, turns and even a 360 degree loop. Last time I did a loop was in a T-28 single engine military prop airplane. I survived, but opted not to do either the plane ride or the rollercoaster ride a second time that day! This was a 12 hour day, with me heading home at 8 pm again.
Both of these days Sandy remained at GG's; on Friday she went walking at the beach with Cynthia; Saturday she walked around the housing area some. On Thursday she started her new cancer treatment program of Protocel, which had arrived that day. It is to be taken four times daily and requires her getting up at 2 am to down the stuff. Since leaving Arkansas, she has gained a couple of pounds, which is a big deal for her.
Sunday we got up early so we could drive to Sally's in Downey to attend church with them at 9 am. Adam and family joined us there. Afterwords, we spent the afternoon with Sally and Steve and Wendy and Rick. Adam's family will return to their motel later while Sandy and I will spend a couple of days with Sally. Tomorrow Sandy will join the rest of us at Disneyland; we have a wheelchair for her to use.
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