2.9

It's the 29TH, and we celebrated Georgia's two years and nine months off treatment tonight with the local Make-A-Wish chapter as they marked 30 years of wishes! Georgia and other wish kids were the guests of honor at the party, which was held at the Touchdown Club at the UT stadium - very cool! They even arranged to have the Make-A-Wish logo on the Jumbotron. Hook 'em!

Since our last post, Ivy got her cast off, Georgia got a great report at her survivorship appointment, AND she swam in four events at the last regular swim meet of the season. Two of the events were relays, in both of which the Stars qualified for the regional meet next weekend in College Station. Georgia is very excited to travel with the team, and it will be the perfect way to cap off her first season of competition. It's been a wonderful experience for her - mind, body, and soul - and we are so proud of her for trying something new and challenging. Most importantly, she's had a blast!

Trip Report - Part 3!

Our final stop was at Universal Studios, and more specifically, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Truthfully, that's all we need to see and do at Universal, so we spent 99% of our day wandering between Hogwarts and Diagon Alley - and it was wonderful! 

Now you can actually ride the train between Hogsmeade and King's Cross!

We had our very own compartment, too.

Ivy reported to school like a good first year.

(Please note the "Florida hair" - so humid! : ))

Stopped by for a treat.

... and don't forget the Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice!

Chatted with the Knight Bus driver.

Found the vanishing cabinet at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.

One more Butterbeer.

The only two non-HP rides we rode were The Simpsons and this one.

"E.T." was Georgia's first movie in a theatre, and it holds a special place in our hearts.

 

We can highly recommend our hotel, which is part of the Universal Orlando resort - the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. It's very reasonable, convenient, and very theme-y! It was like stepping back in time to the early 60s - so cool! Check out the link for more info, but here's the lobby and our room. Love the Georgia colors!

All in all, we had a fabulous trip, and we are so grateful for the time we got to spend together just having FUN. We're already looking forward to our next adventure, but it's also nice to be home for a while. We've got a lot coming up in the next few months, so please check back often. We hope y'all are enjoying a happy new year so far, and thanks as always for keeping our girl on your minds!

Why? Because we LOVE you!

Trip Report - Part 2!

Moving on ... Our third day, December 31st, was special in many ways: Five years since Georgia's diagnosis, our 17th wedding anniversary, and New Year's Eve! Because we knew it was going to be a fun day and a late night, we started out mid-morning with a boat ride to Downtown Disney. We picked up a few little things, but really, this picture alone was worth the trip over there:

By lunchtime, we had made our way to Disney Hollywood Studios. We had a great afternoon riding the movie-themed rides and seeing some wonderful shows, including the big fireworks/laser show "Fantasmic." In the middle of it all, Ivy lost a tooth!

That night, we strolled through the millions of lights draping every square inch of the Streets of America, and, as always, we enjoyed the "snow." Disney thinks of everything, don't they?

We made it back to the hotel just in time to countdown and see the ball drop in NYC, then we had more cake to ring in the New Year! You know it's going to be a good year when it starts out so sweet.

And it got even sweeter because we started 2015 by walking through the gates of the Magic Kingdom just after it opened on January 1st! We rode a few rides (Small World, again! I love it.), and then had breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Even the teenager was excited for pictures!

 

Instead of an autograph book, Ivy had everyone sign her cast!

We spent the rest of the day soaking up as much fun as possible, all the while reflecting on our trip to these parks four years ago and what Georgia has accomplished since then.

2010 and 2014

Her favorite horse.

Shape of things to come - driver's ed this summer!

But hopefully not this.

 

About to get SPLASHED on Splash Mountain.

 

Who let these nuts in here?

It's never goodbye. Just "See ya real soon!"

Next up, Universal Studios and Harry Potter!!! Also, we have a new member of the Peachy Keens - one of my best Mommas, all the way from sunny California, please welcome Alyson! She is raising money in honor of her amazing son, Jared, who beat lymphoma like a boss and is about to spend a semester abroad at a college in Ireland. We are so happy to stand together with this beautiful family and help CONQUER childhood cancer!

Trip Report - Part 1!

Hello! Since we had such an action-packed celebration trip, we're splitting up our report into several posts. There are so many pictures and stories to choose from, so we'll just hit the highlights! But first, we are THRILLED to say we received a very, very generous donation this week that will put us well on our way to 15 for 15 in '15! The Carson Family has been part of our family for nearly 50 years, and they have been incredible supporters of our fundraising efforts from Day One. We couldn't make near the impact we have without their help, so thank you, thank you, Johnny and Beverly. We love you!

Also this week, we've got our first shavee signed up with the Peachy Keens! Heather is shaving in honor of her precious daughter, Madeleine, and her fight against brain cancer. Heather and her family have been active in advocacy and fundraising as well as organizing holiday gift drives for the kids in treatment at Dell Children's. She is a generous, beautiful force to be reckoned with, and we are so proud to have her on our team. Welcome, Heather!

Now on with the show! We spent our first night on the road in New Orleans, which kind of set the tone because our Disney resort was the Port Orleans French Quarter!

It's very "themey" and convenient, and we really enjoyed it. We will definitely stay there again!

The first stop on our tour of "the World" was our favorite - the Magic Kingdom.  They've completely overhauled and expanded Fantasyland since we last visited, so there was a lot of new to see and do. But we had to start with some our old favorites - Peter Pan, Small World, and this guy:

Waving to their people.

 

Then some of our crew had to ride the Teacups, and someone had to bow out to take pictures.

Yeah, that's it. To take pictures ...

As always at that time of year, the park was quite crowded, but we didn't mind. We were just so glad to be back with two happy, healthy girls!

 

The next day was the big day - Georgia's 15th birthday! Breakfast was cupcakes in bed, and then we were off to Epcot for the day!

The weather was a bit cool and drizzly, but that didn't dampen our spirits or stop us from conquering Future World and the World Showcase, with a mid-afternoon Monorail ride thrown in for good measure! We love Soarin' and Test Track but we also love Living with the Land and seeing the innovations in food-growing and farming. So cool.

 

 

Georgia also made a friend over at The Seas.

We took a spin on the Resort Monorail and had our compartment to ourselves. So ... photo shoot!

Back at the World Showcase, we visited all of the countries, and Ivy filled up her passport at the Kidcot stations. Some favorite stops were: 

Norway!

And Germany!

We also had fun seeing ourselves in the future from Spaceship Earth - check the screen above.

We finished up the wonderful day with a delicious dinner "in England" at the Rose & Crown Pub. A couple more sweet treats to cap off the birthday and a smile as big as Texas.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Bang!

That's how we're starting off the new year! Five days in, and we've already had our first donation to the Georgia and the Peachy Keens Hero Fund, we're kicking around ideas and dates for fundraising events, AND Drew Scott posted a vine video with a shout-out to Georgia! It's going to be a great year!

Happy '15!

Another day, another cake!

We're wrapping up our fabulous trip soon, but not before a day with our friend Harry Potter tomorrow! A pretty awesome way to kick off the new year, right? We've "worked" hard this week, navigating the crowds and walking all over, and it's not lost on any of us how wonderful it is that Georgia can more than keep up with so much activity. Swimming certainly has improved her stamina, and she's been pushing the rest of us at times! What a difference from four years ago.

We'll hit the ground running when we get home, but we'll share some tales and pictures of our adventures soon. And thanks again for all of the well-wishes over the last few days - we really appreciate it!