Give Kids The World...Make A Wish

We are one tired little family!  We got home early this afternoon and jet lag and this dry desert heat has already taken it's toll.   We had to get up at 4am after going to bed last night at almost midnight!  We just couldn't stand to leave Give Kids The World behind!  It is more magical than all those amusement parks put together.

Last night as we pulled into our villa driveway, Spencer said, "Even though this place is mostly for little kids, there is something about it that makes you not want to leave.  I could see me living here.  I am definitely coming back here to volunteer!"

Sam had said earlier in the week, "I just wish I lived in a neighborhood like this where everyone was friendly and happy all the time."

We all wished we had spent more time in the Village.  It was really hard to get in all the parks and all the activities going on at Give Kids The World. That might be easier with little kids but with teenagers who feel like they have been suffocating in life, I couldn't get them to slow down!  My favorite moment of all time was definitely our time with Mickey Mouse at the village.  It was magical and happy.

Sam rode every single ride at Sea World, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood studios, Universal Studios, and Island Adventures!  I rode every single ride but about 4 roller coasters that were too much for this girl!  It was a dream come true for him!

This morning as we left, there were raccoons on the driveway, and about a million frogs and crickets keeping time on the dewy grass, lizards sneaking into the bushes and one giant cockroach!  It was a like that scene in Little Mermaid when all the creatures started singing "Kiss the Girl".  It was like they all came out to say goodbye! When we left, we were showered with more gifts including a year of free admission for our family to a hundred amusement parks across the United States.  They presented us a Photo CD of all the pictures they took of us too!  We are also getting sent to us all the pictures that were taken at the parks too!

So, our last day, we decided to spend half the day at Cocoa Beach, about an hour away and then go back to our favorite park- Universal Studios!  We were given a two day pass and it was by far our favorite! For dinner, we went to Hard Rock Cafe at Universal!  They were amazing.  They took our picture with Sam holding an awesome electric guitar, they gave Sam a free meal and then took us to the 'Rock Shop' where they gave us anything we wanted for 50% off.  I was standing in line waiting to pay for the things we picked out and the manager came and said, "There's no need for you to be waiting..."  He called a girl over and opened up a register just for us to check out!  They were so kind!  I was floored by how much they cared!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures:

Cocoa Beach! 

Face Painting.  We had another torrential thunder and lightening storm yesterday at Universal.  As we were running from overhang to overhang, a lady stopped us and said she noticed our Make A Wish buttons and said she would like to paint the boys' faces at no charge.  The boys were super excited about that...She did a great job! 

Well, that's it!  Such a great trip of amazing family memories! Thank you so much to Make A Wish and all the volunteers and companies who donate to Give Kids The World so that we could take a week off from the hassles of disease.   It means the world...