What a great way to start off your day. When we woke up this morning and headed down the street of GKTW Village we ran into the village dogs Goofy & Pluto. Seemingly Belle from beauty and the beast picked Lydia out of the crowd and named her "Princess of Utah". Lydia was in heaven. We wrapped things up with Mickey & Minnie. The Kids & Sarah :) really loved it, but Mason was in absolute awe.

We left Mickey & Minnie and headed out to Sea World. What an unbeleivable place. Mason was initially a little disappointed because he wanted to go to Animal Kingdom. The schedule best suited Sea World. Once there however, Mason and the rest of us could not get enough. The Highlight for all of us was definately Shamu. Mac, Lydia & Dad sat in the SOAK ZONE and soaked we got.

After the show we met Brian, a kind gentleman who's lifelong dream came true and he works with the inspiring animals.

Jimmy Johnsons NASCAR Racing Car was at the park. This one is for Kevin. As you can see, Lydia did not understand or care about Boundries or Perimeters. This was a real problem when she ended up in water that nobody was allowed to be in. She somehow climed a 4 ft fence and went for a swim. In her defense it was terribly hot outside.

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Christmas in The Village

After Sea World it was back to GKTW Village for Christmas. There was a parade, Dancing, Snow, Magicians, All kinds of Characters, Cookie Decorating, Presents and of course Santa Claus.

The day has now ended and it is safe to say the experiences we shared today will forever be cherished.

4/29/09 Traveling and Ariving at Give Kids The World

Well we did it. What many, including myself thought was impossible was possible. Mason, Mac & Lydia had their first plane ride. Dont get me wrong, I was'nt worried about the ride, just getting to and on the plan seemed a daughnting idea.

Although it did take quite some effort from many kind people on and off the plane it happened relatively easy. Mason did get held up in security because he and his chair tested over and over for "Bomb Materials". He was taken to a small glass cubicle where they tested and retested, searched everything then gave up. I guess they figured he was harmless, we know different however :).

Thankfully Ria with Give The Kids the World greeted us at the airport, took us to our luggage and walked us right out to a van with a lift.

Thanks Ria

We arived at GKTW at about 6:45. We came into the Lobby where the kids were given shirts & showered with gifts including Masons Mickey Mouse which he has carried the rest of the night. While we were given a quick overview Mac & Lydia rode the rides we always say "NO" to outside of all the stores. Its always easy to say "No I dont have any quarters", so they are in heaven that you just push a button and ride.

After some breif instruction we were rushed off to dinner where we met Mayor Clayton the mayor of GKTW Village.

We wrapped up the evening on the with a few rides on the enchanted merry go round, visited the elephant (If you get close he will suck your arm in his trunk. And we topped it all off with a visit to the always open ice cream parlor. I think i'm going to like this place.

Make A Wish

Mason was nominated and approved for a wish through Make A Wish several years ago and he is now ready and has made a decision. He's going to Disney World!!!

Star Party

What an amazing day! Mason has known about and has looked forward to his "Star Party" for just over a week and the day is finally here.

We arrive at the Make A Wish Building at 1 pm with a car full of excitement and imagination. What a beautiful building with a peaceful, almost sacred beauty once inside. A beauty that clearly comes from the amazing work that goes on inside and from the many special children who have experienced what Mason is about to.

Welcome

We started with an tour of the building and the background of how Make A Wish came about. They then showed us this wall with the 44 wishes they are currently working on. Mason is the top row 2nd one from the left. About half have the same wish as Mason.

Wishing Table

The tour and experience moved upstairs to the Wishing Table. This table was created by an artist with several past "Wish Kids" sharing their experiences .

Once in the room, we were all given a card and a pencil and asked to sit around the table. It was explained to us that Mason has a wish, and we now have a chance to share what we all wished for him.

There were some fun and thoughtful wishes shared. Some of the wishes were; Masons very own Monster Truck, Good Health, Having Fun, To See A Major League Baseball Game, To See A NASCAR Race and the most common or what seemed to be the wish shared by everyone was Happiness.

Certainly Mason has inspite of anything going on in his life always been able to find happiness and has brought it into the lives of so many.

Just off the room with the wishing table was a large door. Mason was give a key to unlock the door which he gets to keep and can return anytime he would like. The door led to "The Wishing Place".

We were all asked to be quiet because The Wishing Place is a special room and indeed it was. It was a circular room with glass floors, walls and ceiling. There wer multi colored lights throughout the room dancing to Disney themed music. In the middle of the room was a wall of glass with water flowing down it seeming to pour onto the floor.

In this room the wishes we had for Mason were shared and Mason declared his wish emphatically, DISNEY WORLD!!!!! He then went behind the waterfall, gave his wish to the "wish grantor", came back to the front of the waterfall and deposited the wish into a large cylinder completing the ceremony.

It was an inspiring experience for all of us.

After the ceremony it was time to party! We celebrated with cake and gifts. Thank you so much to Kandis & Carmel for hosting this day and making it an experience of a lifetime.

Star Rising Ceremony

To conclude the day, Mason was given his own STAR and he raised it to the ceiling to hang among hundreds of others which each represented a granted wish for a child.

We will forever be grateful for this day and for the experience we shared and for the experience we will share as a family on Masons wish.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MAKE A WISH, To Mike, Carmel, Kandice and all those involved in putting this together.

Follow us in the coming days to see Masons daily experiences in Florida.