As I went to bed on
Wednesday 15th January 2014 the day before we were to fly to LA, I
was filled with utter excitement. I just couldn’t wait to get on that plane
with the Gerigk girls and their mum Tricia.
On the way to the
airport the next day I felt very emotional, it was truly a momentous day for
‘Feel the Magic’, this was the day our first EVER family would have an
adventure of a lifetime. So many thoughts went through my head, appreciation
for all the support we had received from our sponsors, friends, friends of
friends and complete strangers who had either donated their time, money or
prizes. I was also excited at the anticipation of actually walking through the
gates of Disneyland and to be there to share the magical moments that the
Gerigk family were about to have! I also felt this real sense of pride that as
a new non-for-profit organisation we had achieved sooo much in the short space
of 12 months. Lots of energy, hours and sacrifice had led us to this day, the
day I will never forget. I also had a feeling that there was some very special
people upstairs watching over us.
We arrived at the airport and greeted the Gerigk girls with
excitement. They were pumped, they were ready and mum Tricia was so organised!!
She was armed with plenty of information about Disneyland so she could ensure
that the girls wouldn’t miss a thing.
It was a long flight
to LA, but the girls coped well, Megan and Carla are so small they managed to
get quite comfy in those plane seats, but poor Sophie was awake for most of the
flight. When we finally touched down in LA, poor Megan was suffering from
motion sickness, she was pale and didn’t feel well. As we approached the
customs desk weary from the flight Megan vomited on the floor J Haha, make me laugh now. Tricia quickly scooped her up and ran for
the toilet. Thank god I was there, an awkward situation would have definitely
been worse if the other 2 girls were left by themselves.
The shuttle ride to
Anaheim from LAX was exciting, so many things to see. Sophie was excited to see
the Starbucks signs. (She couldn’t wait to go to Starbucks). She was happy to
find out that there was a Starbucks right across the road from our hotel.
We arrived at Hotel
Menage in the afternoon on the 16th Jan at approx. 4pm. We unpacked
and the girls hit the pool almost immediately.
Tricia and I decided
to meet at the restaurant for happy hour ($5 meals) between 4-7pm every night!
After dinner we took the shuttle to Downtown Disney to check out the shops and
just soak in some of the atmosphere.
As we walked past
both parks Disneyland and California Adventure Park in the dark I looked over
at the girls and little Megan had her arms crossed with a cranky look on her
face, she could not believe we had travelled all that way and she had to wait
just one more night!!!
She quickly came back
to light when she walked through World of Disney a retail store filled with
every possible type of Disney merchandise. A quick trip to Build-A-Bear and all
was good. Our first night was great!
Friday morning…. This
was is it… today was the day!
Walking into
Disneyland reminded me how magical it really is. The atmosphere, music, characters,
colours so many things that remind you of being a kid, pure innocence. The
girls looked around in wonder. Our first stop was Indiana Jones ride!!!
Disneyland at its best, lifelike setting, screaming, laughing and just general
amazement of how this ride was created.
Day one was filled
with laughter, excitement, fear (mostly from Sophie), fun and also memories for
Tricia of when she was there many years ago with Pete (the girls father). It
was great to listen to the stories that Tricia shared with the girls and I know
they appreciate that Tricia still talks of him often.
Highlights of the day
were Splash and Space Mountain, the Disney Street Parade and we finished the
day with the very famous and very magical fireworks, the girls were in awe. You
cant help but be present to the magic of the fireworks they are just so
beautiful, such a great thing to share with the ones you love most! It was a
huge day, we spent 12hrs in the parks and the girls still managed to finish the
day off with a Spa.
Day 2 was just as big
as day One, it was a slow start, I think the jet lag was catching up! At this point
I think they were running on adrenaline. Highlights of the day were Mickey and
The Magical Map stage show followed by a train ride just as the sun was setting
and the lights of Disneyland started to come on. They finished the day in World
of Disney retail store (which became standard practice) and Carla and Megan
purchased their princess dresses.
Day 3 Sophie was
excited to see a bit of LA and was praying to see her crushes, Australian
YouTube stars ‘The Janoskians’ who are currently living in LA . So after very
long action packed days at Disneyland it was time for a day trip to see some
sights. Johnny from Boston was our tour guide for the day. We saw Santa Monica,
Hollywood, Downtown LA, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey. Was a
fun day finished off with a feast at the famous Cheescake Factory. Carla and
Megan wore their princess dresses to dinner and received so many compliments
and the smiles on their faces were priceless.
Day 4 was California
Adventure Land Day!!!! I was so excited to show them Car’s Land. As an adult I
feel like I am in the movie walking down Route 66 in Radiator Springs, so I can
only imagine what its like for the girls. They LOVED Maters Junkyard Jamboree,
they went on it multiple times! They were blown away by California Screamin,
Hollywood Tower and Ariels Underwater Adventure. On this day we stopped and
enjoyed a beautiful lunch at Wine Country Trattoria. Straight after lunch Megan
begged us to ride the Grizzly Peak river rapids and yes we ended up saturated.
The girls began to get into the spirit of pin swapping and finding hidden
Mickeys. Upon my advice we got fast passes for The Radiator Springs Racers, the
most popular ride in the park. Our return time was 8:30pm-9:00pm. We returned
at 8:40pm as we approached the ride shut down with a fault, we were a bit
devastated.
Day 5 was our final
day in the parks. The girls had worked out what they hadn’t seen yet to be sure
they didn’t miss anything. We started the day in Cars Land and rode Radiator
Springs Racers first with our fast pass from the night before, hopped over to
Disneyland for the Haunted Mansion and then back to Cars Land for the ‘World of
Colour’ light show. Girls waited anxiously for the show to begin, they managed
to squeeze through the crowd to get a good view. Poor Megan feel asleep
standing up, luckily there was a fence in front of her, which stopped her
falling over. Tricia took her home and I took Sophie and Carla for one last
shop in World of Disney J
Day 6- The girls and
Tricia took a day trip to Universal studios where they met minions and loved
the 4D Transformer ride. That night I looked after the girls in their room, we
watched movies and ate lolly’s and room service. Tricia went by herself to
Downtown Disney to do a final shop and buy gifts for the girls.
What a fantastic
trip, the girls all ended up with lots of great Disney merchandise, gifts for
friends, photos and memories that will last a lifetime.
Parenting on your own is tough. I admire Tricia for her strength,
support, organisational skills, patience, resilience, positive outlook and her
love for the girls. All of these traits are now being instilled in all three
girls! She is a wonder women and so deserving of this trip. I was so glad to be
apart of making this trip smooth, easy and to be a helping hand when Tricia
needed.
This truly was a
magical adventure and the Tricia and the girls lives have been brightened for
ever and I cant wait for the next family to go!
Kristy xx
