Bugdozer
<font color=royal blue>One day at a time.<br>Yeste
- Joined
- May 6, 2003
Day 3 Friday April 20th
Well I went to bed happily thinking about the big day and was waken abruptly by the sounds of a sick kid. Was I dreaming? Please let it be a dream! I laid there thinking oh no this cant be happening. I went the bathroom to check on him and sure enough it was not a dream. Poor Ink was not doing well. I got him back to bed and talked to him. I asked him if it was nerves. He said he did not know. He said he was a little nervous but his stomach really hurt and he had started not feeling well later in the day. I was upset the silly kid had not told me sooner and we could have gone back to the room sooner. No wonder he did not want to stay for wishes. Made sense to me now. I got him settled back into bed, cleaned the bathroom and went back to bed myself. Well it was not to be the end of it. Every 1 ½ hours or so through the night poor ink got sick. It seemed like I would just get to sleep and it would happen all over again. I know it was emotionally taking a toll on him as he would come hug me and say how I can go see them like this. I tried my best to reassure him but it was not easy.
Morning finally came with ink not feeling great but at least from 4 am to 7 am he had slept through without getting sick. I sat on bed with him and we talked about what we should do. This was a one shot deal and we both knew it. Yavn was there for a week but we were boarding the ship the next day. I asked Ink what he wanted to do-it was his decision. He wanted to go-as I expected he would. So he showered, put on his VMK shirt and tried to smile the poor kid. My heart was breaking for him.
We were to meet Yavn and Caffdawg at 9:30 at Magic Kingdom. Bears came by and picked us up and we were on our way. We took the ferry over to Magic Kingdom and went through security and sat on a bench to wait for them. Bearz was in her full glory with her magnificent chicken hat on and I got this great picture of her and my husband-they seemed to hit it off beautifully!
Now I must admit I had been nervous about the big meeting but with Ink not feeling well my concerns switched to him and were no longer about the meeting. I just wanted the day to be perfect for him. It was a very warm morning and Ink was dehydrated and wanted water. Of course they do not sell water before you enter the park so this was making him not a happy kid. We could see the security checkpoint from where we were sitting and anxiously awaited their arrival. Caffdawg called on my cell to let us know that they were almost there. The anticipation grew .. Then there they were, going through security. So what was I thinking? My mind was racing, what do I say, or do? As they approached and smiled I was instantly put at ease. I dont know how to explain it but both Yavn and Dawg have a way of making you feel comfortable right away- like they were long lost friends. There were hellos and smiles and yes I gave them BOTH a hug. I could not help myself. What they were doing was an amazing gift to us all. They were giving us the gift of their time-the greatest gift of all.
The initial meeting went off great and they had some stuff for the boys. They had brought with them an assortment of pins from DLR which excited these 2 pin collectors and a few other goodies. Yavn had a special gift for Ink that he will cherish forever. One of the artist in the office did and 8 x 10 drawing of Slinkymans character on VMK (so thats why Dawg needed a screen shot of him lol). The several people from the VMK team signed it and it was all framed for him. What an amazing memento for ink! He loved it and it is proudly displayed now on a shelf above his bed. Every time I walk into his bedroom and see it, it puts a smile on my face. So to the Artist (MK) who did this picture and to those who signed it once again THANK YOU for an amazing and thoughtful gift that will forever be cherished.
We had a couple of things for them. We gave Yavn and Dawg each a set of our flats wearing our Dream shirts since they made our dreams come true and we included a flat of each of them. We also had a special gift for someone that is dear to Yavn and we could tell by his face that he was touched. We loved making it for his family and hope they enjoy it as much as Ink enjoys his special gift.
After gifts we took some photos. I know everyone has anticipated these photos more then any. I dearly hope that no one will take these photos and use them in any other form. These people mean the world to us and we have great respect for them and even more respect that Yavn is willing to let me post pictures. He is an amazing man. First Photo taken:
It was time to get moving into the park so off we went with Yavn and Dawg. There were a couple more members of the team we saw as well. They popped in on and off throughout the day but we saw very little of them. They were at meetings we were told. We went in got Ink a bottle of water and headed to a shady area on the left side of Mainstreet by the fire station. We found some steps to sit at. We got everyone together for a group shot:
Then it was signing time. Bearz teased me we had a hundred things to sign not true rofl. This was a good place to sit and Yavn and Dawg graciously signed things for us. We had our special ears signed and the boys had their special hats signed that Bearz gave them when Ink started treatment. I was busy handing them things but Bearz was smart and got pictures of it:
My wonderful son also had made some VMK edits that he printed out and wanted to show Yavn. Ink, Yavn and Dawg talked about them and Yavn kept the print outs. Was very nice of him to really take the time to listen to the ideas and he said they are always interested in what players think. Here is Ink showing his ideas:
At this time Ink was feeling not great and a decision was made that it was in his best interest to get him a wheel chair since he was weak from being up sick all night. We told Yavn and Dawg about Ink not feeling well and they were very understanding and will to still visit with us.
After the signing (we decided to leave boys shirts to sign for later in day) we proceeded to the first stop Ink wanted to do with Yavn-give you 1 guess
VMK Central. Of course Ink wanted to create an in park character which he did. Dawg helped him come up with a cool title. Sad thing is I wrote the log in information down and when we got home it does not work. I dont know if I wrote it down wrong but we have tried for days and tried several versions and does not work. But for information purposes when Ink created the in park peep he did get black ears 200 credits all the usual rooms and the usual bunch of clothes.
Also there is a new window display as you enter VMK Central I thought you might be interested in seeing-had the new seasonal cards in it what a tease!!!
After VMK central we stopped and sat at the Bakery on Mainstreet. Ink was feeling really really bad and one of the VMK team members that was with us asked me if there was anything they could do. I asked if there was a quiet place like an office or anything that we could go to so he could rest and we could just talk. Well they found us a perfect spot. It seems that in January Disney opened a special room by the first aid facility that is for Make A Wish families. So we headed in there. It was a wonderful cozy room with a cast member there if you needed anything and a mini fridge with cold water in it. There was a TV some games and seating. We wheeled ink in and all found seats. I am so thankful to Yavn and Dawg for their understanding. They came expecting to do thrill rides with the boys and instead they were stuck in this room with us. As much as the boys wanted to do the rides this was a great place for ink to rest and a great time to get to know each other. We spent well over 2 hours in this room talking. Good thing for us that Yavn does not seem to mind talking and we had a wonderful time. Here is Ink in the room:
We talked about a lot of things including VMK but not just limited to that. We asked what kind of education you need to do what they do, what are their hobbies, and so on. A nice get to know you talk. Now my husband is not a VMK player and does not know a thing about computers and was bored with the conversations. Smalld captured his feelings about the whole talk lol:
Ink was feeling better and we decided to venture out into the park. We decided to do an easy ride so we went to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The boys sat in a car with Yavn and Dawg. At this point I would like to say that Yavn and Dawg are a lot of fun to be around. They love to goof off and be jokesters. I was taking pictures since they were in the car in front of us and they would make bunny ears on the boys. We decided to get some lunch at Cosmic rays. Ink was not in the mood to eat and eventually I had to take him outside as the food smell was getting to him. When they were done they came out to find us. Dawg came sporting a new hat and as it turns out Goofy is Inks and Dawgs favorite character:
We walked around for a while and some of the group did haunted mansion. Ink did not feel like it so I sat outside on a bench with him and Yavn was kind enough to stay with me and talk as poor ink feel asleep. When the rest of the group had finished mansion and found us Yavn suggested that since ink was not feeling good maybe we should all head to Epcot. The flower show was going on and it would be a great place to just walk around with lots of places to sit. So we headed out of the park said our good byes to them they would meet us there since they had a car and we were taking the monorail.
Short while later we all met up at the entrance to Epcot. We got a wheel chair and proceeded on. First stop was Spaceship Earth. I really wanted to ride this as I know they will be closing it soon for some updates and I wanted a last look at it. Ink said he was fine to ride so once again the boys rode with Yavn and Dawg. I really love this ride. I went to Epcot the year it opened (year I got married) and I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on Spaceship Earth. I was spell bound and I get that same feeling every time I see it. When Yavn released the Epcot room I was thrilled and that room was part of the reason we added days on to our cruise trip-I had to go to Epcot.
Next stop was club cool. Yavn seems to really like Club Cool. Me, I am not brave enough to try all those crazy drinks. Yavn found a drink that was basically like our ginger ale and suggested that it might be good for Ink. It was and he drank some of it and it helped to get some liquid and sugar into him. I could see he was starting to feel better. We decided to venture to the countries. First stop Mexico. Yavn asked the boys if they have ever traveled through world showcase and tried on silly hats for pictures and they replied they had not. So first hats were silly huge sombreros. We then all rode the newly redone Mexico Ride. Once again mixed reviews. I liked it and Yavn did too but Ink insists he likes the old version better. I look at it as we are all entitled to our opinions on it. We took a couple of really nice pictures in Mexico:
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After Mexico we rode Maelstrom in Norway. And of course a stop to try on silly Viking hats. When we got to Italy Yavn and Dawg disappeared on a special shopping stop. When they came out they were sporting new sweatband and had some for the boys. Then it was time for another fun picture:
At this point people were getting hungry. We were originally going to be eating at Alfredos in Italy but had decided Ink was not up to a long sit down dinner and skipped it. As we were walking we passed a stand selling Japanese food. It smelled good we were hungry so here is where we ate. I had gotten Ink one of those long twirl Popsicle and he downed that. I got him to eat a little bit of my white rice too. I could see he was feeling better-I think it helped that the sun was going down and it was cooling off. After we ate we asked Yavn and Dawg to finish signing the last couple things we had including the boys VMK shirts. I also asked them if I could get a picture of them holding our flats which of course they did:
We finished going through World Showcase and headed back to Future World. We stopped to get our wrist bands as it was extra magic hours and Epcot was open to Mid-night. They were also trying something new during April. During extra magic hours there would be 2 shows of Illuminations. One at the usual 9 pm and one at 11:30 pm. We opted to do rides while the 9 PM show was going on. We headed over to the Land and did another one of my favorites Soarin. After this ride we met up with another member of the team. Bearz had some blisters and decided she wanted to call it a night. We said our byes and she headed off. Ink was doing much better so we headed off to do some of the calmer rides- The new Nemo ride(Yavn explained to me how they got Nemo and his friends to look like they are in the real tanks), did Ellen, and Figment. Then it was time for Illuminations. Lets say that the 11:30 show was dead. No problem finding a great spot. Illuminations is Inks favorite fireworks show and he really wanted to see it with Yavn- and he did. After the show they walked most of the way out with us. We gave our final goodbyes and hugs and it was sad to see them walk away. We proceeded to the Disney busses as we had plans to meet bears at her hotel so she could drive us to our hotel near the airport. We wanted to be close to the airport so we could get to the airport early on Sat and take the Disney bus over to Port Canaveral. Poor Bearz is such a great friend. She dropped us off at 1 AM at the hotel. We hugged and hugged with sad goodbyes-I will not see her again until Oct. Then she was off. We checked in and went to bed thinking about what laid ahead for the next day. For now we were about to venture onto the Disney Magic Cruise Ship-something the boys have never done.
My final thoughts on the day: It was a day to remember! Yavn and Dawg were gracious hosts. They were caring, understanding, enthusiastic, informative and fun to be with. They spent 14 hours with us- more then I could have ever hoped for or dreamed about. Spending time with him I knew they did this because they really wanted to and really cared. You have no idea how that makes me feel. I will be forever indebted to Yavn, Dawg and the VMK team for their kindness. There are no words great enough to thank them for what they did for us. When they walked away I felt we had made wonderful new friends that my heart feels we have not seen the last of. Yavn I know you will read this-you are an amazing man with true Disney spirit within you. You made a young mans dreams become a reality in true Disney Spirit. You went above and beyond what could have been done. You created more then a simple meeting you created a lifetime of memories for Ink that god willing he will tell his grandchildren about someday. You are truly a special person and I know Walt is smiling down on you, Dawg and the VMK team for continuing his dream of with Disney anything is possible-
Thanks Walt for Disney and Thanks Yavn Dawg and VMK for being part of our lives.
I went to sleep that night with a happy heart and a big smile.
To be continued .
Thanks to CL_Nedakh for help with photo editing
Well I went to bed happily thinking about the big day and was waken abruptly by the sounds of a sick kid. Was I dreaming? Please let it be a dream! I laid there thinking oh no this cant be happening. I went the bathroom to check on him and sure enough it was not a dream. Poor Ink was not doing well. I got him back to bed and talked to him. I asked him if it was nerves. He said he did not know. He said he was a little nervous but his stomach really hurt and he had started not feeling well later in the day. I was upset the silly kid had not told me sooner and we could have gone back to the room sooner. No wonder he did not want to stay for wishes. Made sense to me now. I got him settled back into bed, cleaned the bathroom and went back to bed myself. Well it was not to be the end of it. Every 1 ½ hours or so through the night poor ink got sick. It seemed like I would just get to sleep and it would happen all over again. I know it was emotionally taking a toll on him as he would come hug me and say how I can go see them like this. I tried my best to reassure him but it was not easy.
Morning finally came with ink not feeling great but at least from 4 am to 7 am he had slept through without getting sick. I sat on bed with him and we talked about what we should do. This was a one shot deal and we both knew it. Yavn was there for a week but we were boarding the ship the next day. I asked Ink what he wanted to do-it was his decision. He wanted to go-as I expected he would. So he showered, put on his VMK shirt and tried to smile the poor kid. My heart was breaking for him.
We were to meet Yavn and Caffdawg at 9:30 at Magic Kingdom. Bears came by and picked us up and we were on our way. We took the ferry over to Magic Kingdom and went through security and sat on a bench to wait for them. Bearz was in her full glory with her magnificent chicken hat on and I got this great picture of her and my husband-they seemed to hit it off beautifully!
Now I must admit I had been nervous about the big meeting but with Ink not feeling well my concerns switched to him and were no longer about the meeting. I just wanted the day to be perfect for him. It was a very warm morning and Ink was dehydrated and wanted water. Of course they do not sell water before you enter the park so this was making him not a happy kid. We could see the security checkpoint from where we were sitting and anxiously awaited their arrival. Caffdawg called on my cell to let us know that they were almost there. The anticipation grew .. Then there they were, going through security. So what was I thinking? My mind was racing, what do I say, or do? As they approached and smiled I was instantly put at ease. I dont know how to explain it but both Yavn and Dawg have a way of making you feel comfortable right away- like they were long lost friends. There were hellos and smiles and yes I gave them BOTH a hug. I could not help myself. What they were doing was an amazing gift to us all. They were giving us the gift of their time-the greatest gift of all.
The initial meeting went off great and they had some stuff for the boys. They had brought with them an assortment of pins from DLR which excited these 2 pin collectors and a few other goodies. Yavn had a special gift for Ink that he will cherish forever. One of the artist in the office did and 8 x 10 drawing of Slinkymans character on VMK (so thats why Dawg needed a screen shot of him lol). The several people from the VMK team signed it and it was all framed for him. What an amazing memento for ink! He loved it and it is proudly displayed now on a shelf above his bed. Every time I walk into his bedroom and see it, it puts a smile on my face. So to the Artist (MK) who did this picture and to those who signed it once again THANK YOU for an amazing and thoughtful gift that will forever be cherished.
We had a couple of things for them. We gave Yavn and Dawg each a set of our flats wearing our Dream shirts since they made our dreams come true and we included a flat of each of them. We also had a special gift for someone that is dear to Yavn and we could tell by his face that he was touched. We loved making it for his family and hope they enjoy it as much as Ink enjoys his special gift.
After gifts we took some photos. I know everyone has anticipated these photos more then any. I dearly hope that no one will take these photos and use them in any other form. These people mean the world to us and we have great respect for them and even more respect that Yavn is willing to let me post pictures. He is an amazing man. First Photo taken:
It was time to get moving into the park so off we went with Yavn and Dawg. There were a couple more members of the team we saw as well. They popped in on and off throughout the day but we saw very little of them. They were at meetings we were told. We went in got Ink a bottle of water and headed to a shady area on the left side of Mainstreet by the fire station. We found some steps to sit at. We got everyone together for a group shot:
Then it was signing time. Bearz teased me we had a hundred things to sign not true rofl. This was a good place to sit and Yavn and Dawg graciously signed things for us. We had our special ears signed and the boys had their special hats signed that Bearz gave them when Ink started treatment. I was busy handing them things but Bearz was smart and got pictures of it:
My wonderful son also had made some VMK edits that he printed out and wanted to show Yavn. Ink, Yavn and Dawg talked about them and Yavn kept the print outs. Was very nice of him to really take the time to listen to the ideas and he said they are always interested in what players think. Here is Ink showing his ideas:
At this time Ink was feeling not great and a decision was made that it was in his best interest to get him a wheel chair since he was weak from being up sick all night. We told Yavn and Dawg about Ink not feeling well and they were very understanding and will to still visit with us.
After the signing (we decided to leave boys shirts to sign for later in day) we proceeded to the first stop Ink wanted to do with Yavn-give you 1 guess
VMK Central. Of course Ink wanted to create an in park character which he did. Dawg helped him come up with a cool title. Sad thing is I wrote the log in information down and when we got home it does not work. I dont know if I wrote it down wrong but we have tried for days and tried several versions and does not work. But for information purposes when Ink created the in park peep he did get black ears 200 credits all the usual rooms and the usual bunch of clothes.
Also there is a new window display as you enter VMK Central I thought you might be interested in seeing-had the new seasonal cards in it what a tease!!!
After VMK central we stopped and sat at the Bakery on Mainstreet. Ink was feeling really really bad and one of the VMK team members that was with us asked me if there was anything they could do. I asked if there was a quiet place like an office or anything that we could go to so he could rest and we could just talk. Well they found us a perfect spot. It seems that in January Disney opened a special room by the first aid facility that is for Make A Wish families. So we headed in there. It was a wonderful cozy room with a cast member there if you needed anything and a mini fridge with cold water in it. There was a TV some games and seating. We wheeled ink in and all found seats. I am so thankful to Yavn and Dawg for their understanding. They came expecting to do thrill rides with the boys and instead they were stuck in this room with us. As much as the boys wanted to do the rides this was a great place for ink to rest and a great time to get to know each other. We spent well over 2 hours in this room talking. Good thing for us that Yavn does not seem to mind talking and we had a wonderful time. Here is Ink in the room:
We talked about a lot of things including VMK but not just limited to that. We asked what kind of education you need to do what they do, what are their hobbies, and so on. A nice get to know you talk. Now my husband is not a VMK player and does not know a thing about computers and was bored with the conversations. Smalld captured his feelings about the whole talk lol:
Ink was feeling better and we decided to venture out into the park. We decided to do an easy ride so we went to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The boys sat in a car with Yavn and Dawg. At this point I would like to say that Yavn and Dawg are a lot of fun to be around. They love to goof off and be jokesters. I was taking pictures since they were in the car in front of us and they would make bunny ears on the boys. We decided to get some lunch at Cosmic rays. Ink was not in the mood to eat and eventually I had to take him outside as the food smell was getting to him. When they were done they came out to find us. Dawg came sporting a new hat and as it turns out Goofy is Inks and Dawgs favorite character:
We walked around for a while and some of the group did haunted mansion. Ink did not feel like it so I sat outside on a bench with him and Yavn was kind enough to stay with me and talk as poor ink feel asleep. When the rest of the group had finished mansion and found us Yavn suggested that since ink was not feeling good maybe we should all head to Epcot. The flower show was going on and it would be a great place to just walk around with lots of places to sit. So we headed out of the park said our good byes to them they would meet us there since they had a car and we were taking the monorail.
Short while later we all met up at the entrance to Epcot. We got a wheel chair and proceeded on. First stop was Spaceship Earth. I really wanted to ride this as I know they will be closing it soon for some updates and I wanted a last look at it. Ink said he was fine to ride so once again the boys rode with Yavn and Dawg. I really love this ride. I went to Epcot the year it opened (year I got married) and I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on Spaceship Earth. I was spell bound and I get that same feeling every time I see it. When Yavn released the Epcot room I was thrilled and that room was part of the reason we added days on to our cruise trip-I had to go to Epcot.
Next stop was club cool. Yavn seems to really like Club Cool. Me, I am not brave enough to try all those crazy drinks. Yavn found a drink that was basically like our ginger ale and suggested that it might be good for Ink. It was and he drank some of it and it helped to get some liquid and sugar into him. I could see he was starting to feel better. We decided to venture to the countries. First stop Mexico. Yavn asked the boys if they have ever traveled through world showcase and tried on silly hats for pictures and they replied they had not. So first hats were silly huge sombreros. We then all rode the newly redone Mexico Ride. Once again mixed reviews. I liked it and Yavn did too but Ink insists he likes the old version better. I look at it as we are all entitled to our opinions on it. We took a couple of really nice pictures in Mexico:
\
After Mexico we rode Maelstrom in Norway. And of course a stop to try on silly Viking hats. When we got to Italy Yavn and Dawg disappeared on a special shopping stop. When they came out they were sporting new sweatband and had some for the boys. Then it was time for another fun picture:
At this point people were getting hungry. We were originally going to be eating at Alfredos in Italy but had decided Ink was not up to a long sit down dinner and skipped it. As we were walking we passed a stand selling Japanese food. It smelled good we were hungry so here is where we ate. I had gotten Ink one of those long twirl Popsicle and he downed that. I got him to eat a little bit of my white rice too. I could see he was feeling better-I think it helped that the sun was going down and it was cooling off. After we ate we asked Yavn and Dawg to finish signing the last couple things we had including the boys VMK shirts. I also asked them if I could get a picture of them holding our flats which of course they did:
We finished going through World Showcase and headed back to Future World. We stopped to get our wrist bands as it was extra magic hours and Epcot was open to Mid-night. They were also trying something new during April. During extra magic hours there would be 2 shows of Illuminations. One at the usual 9 pm and one at 11:30 pm. We opted to do rides while the 9 PM show was going on. We headed over to the Land and did another one of my favorites Soarin. After this ride we met up with another member of the team. Bearz had some blisters and decided she wanted to call it a night. We said our byes and she headed off. Ink was doing much better so we headed off to do some of the calmer rides- The new Nemo ride(Yavn explained to me how they got Nemo and his friends to look like they are in the real tanks), did Ellen, and Figment. Then it was time for Illuminations. Lets say that the 11:30 show was dead. No problem finding a great spot. Illuminations is Inks favorite fireworks show and he really wanted to see it with Yavn- and he did. After the show they walked most of the way out with us. We gave our final goodbyes and hugs and it was sad to see them walk away. We proceeded to the Disney busses as we had plans to meet bears at her hotel so she could drive us to our hotel near the airport. We wanted to be close to the airport so we could get to the airport early on Sat and take the Disney bus over to Port Canaveral. Poor Bearz is such a great friend. She dropped us off at 1 AM at the hotel. We hugged and hugged with sad goodbyes-I will not see her again until Oct. Then she was off. We checked in and went to bed thinking about what laid ahead for the next day. For now we were about to venture onto the Disney Magic Cruise Ship-something the boys have never done.
My final thoughts on the day: It was a day to remember! Yavn and Dawg were gracious hosts. They were caring, understanding, enthusiastic, informative and fun to be with. They spent 14 hours with us- more then I could have ever hoped for or dreamed about. Spending time with him I knew they did this because they really wanted to and really cared. You have no idea how that makes me feel. I will be forever indebted to Yavn, Dawg and the VMK team for their kindness. There are no words great enough to thank them for what they did for us. When they walked away I felt we had made wonderful new friends that my heart feels we have not seen the last of. Yavn I know you will read this-you are an amazing man with true Disney spirit within you. You made a young mans dreams become a reality in true Disney Spirit. You went above and beyond what could have been done. You created more then a simple meeting you created a lifetime of memories for Ink that god willing he will tell his grandchildren about someday. You are truly a special person and I know Walt is smiling down on you, Dawg and the VMK team for continuing his dream of with Disney anything is possible-
Thanks Walt for Disney and Thanks Yavn Dawg and VMK for being part of our lives.
I went to sleep that night with a happy heart and a big smile.
To be continued .
Thanks to CL_Nedakh for help with photo editing
how absolutely wonderful! Bug, my throat hurts from holding back my tears. What awesome memories you and ink and smalld will have and you to bearz lol. So sad that ink didn't feel well on the big day but 
yay for his will to go anyway. I hope the rest of your vacation went excitingly well for you all. Thank you so much for sharing your dream experience with us all. I was really looking forward to it. 
)
They are some special people. 
fun, fun, fun!
