2 months see mickey

Earlier this year, we booked a trip to Disney World for the first week of May.  My childhood best friend and her husband are members of the vacation club, were not going this year themselves, so they offered to help us get there. I wasn't looking forward to making the trek pregnant, but we decided to plan it anyway. It would be a while before we could go again, and we figured a 2 year old would need down time just like a pregnant mama would. There began the toddler countdown...'2 months see Mickey'.

The weeks immediately following the making of those plans made us wonder if we would actually get to go. As dim as our future started to seem, we held onto the frail hope of giving Mickey a 'hi-pive'. 

When I came into my house 3 weeks ago yesterday, it was 5 hours after giving birth to our stillborn daughter. When I came into my house yesterday (technically today, it was 2 a.m.), it was 8 (or so) hours after leaving 'the happiest place on earth'. I am lost for words (make note of that, it doesn't happen often) to describe to you how grateful I am for so many things.

When we arrived at our place of lodging, while checking in, the gentleman asked us if we were celebrating anything. In some round-about way, yes, but it was not the time or place to share why. We later realized that there is a button for just about any sort of celebration. Thomas is the proud owner of a '1st Visit' button. The gentleman's question stuck with me, tho, and I wondered if there might be a 'Healing' button. That is for sure what the next 6 days brought with them. "Somebody" knew that Kirk, Missy, and Thomas were going to need a week at Disney World, the first week of May 2011, just the three of them.

We had spent 4 and a half amazing days making the most of the term 'park hopper'. We had done everything possible to do with a 2 year old. If we hadn't done it, we didn't feel like we would later regret not doing it. We decided that we would spend Thursday morning at Magic Kingdom, since it was where Thomas, without a doubt, had the most fun.  He would drive the itinerary, and when everyone faded and we had normally gone back to the room to nap or at least regroup... that would be when we got in the car to start homeward. We had absolutely no agenda for the day.  Our vacation had been beyond amazing and couldn't get any better. We were wrong. As we left the carousel and headed for the teacups, Kirk heard someone calling his name. We turned around to find his childhood best friend, wife, and 2 year old son. For the next 5 hours, we followed their agenda, dumbfounded that we really were all there together.

I will share more about our trip later, but want to focus on this now.  We give our thanks to God for these lifelong friends: one who generously provided our vacation, and the other, who was there with us.