Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Final Day
So, today was the day everyone has been waiting for.
It started off with a radio interview at 7:10 am. We managed to get everyone up and ready to go and then at 7 am we got a call saying they'd pushed us off to 8:20. well at least it gave us time to get some cereal into the girls and get to Starbucks for some Chai. A quick shuttle to the station and we got a few minutes on air on the Hudson Valley Music station along with country music star Mark Wills. He's been traveling with our group but he's been on a different bus so we really haven't gotten to know him very well. But he's great with the kids. After that Mommy tried to get the girls to sleep a bit more but no luck. So we shopped for souvenirs, read stories and took baths before our White House visit.
Our group was right on time but we had to wait until the Prime Minister of Australia left the White House. We waved to his motorcade and then were invited in. The security screen wasn't as bad as we expected since we'd been warned in advance only to take our cameras.
Once inside the White House we got to see the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, the reception room, etc. There was somebody in each room to answer questions. Plenty of pictures and even a nice family photo on the sofa in the red room.
After our tour, we were taken outside on the South lawn and we got organized for our photos with the President. When we were ready President Obama came out. He made sure he shook hands with each child and then asked if the kids had any questions. We learned that Michelle, Malia and Sasha were in Camp David for spring break. The President likes horses and he is 47, soon to be 48. He then faced a tough question on what his plans were for healthcare for children. He treated the question seriously and set out his thinking. At that point he indicated Sasha and Malia's swing set and gave a "Presidential order" that the Champions go and play on it before disappearing to a meeting in the West Wing. This set the Secret Service folks into overdrive wrangling 53 young kids for the next 30 minutes! The swing set is located close to the Rose Garden presenting some wonderful photo opportunities
Some time later the President re-emerged from the West Wing meeting and came to talk to the kids again, thanking them for coming. Suffice to say he is an incredibly charismatic figure up close and was wonderful with the kids. We later learned that the swing set was installed the day before his girls left for Camp David so the Champions were practically the first test pilots on it. We were then ushered out of the White House which gave Miss America the chance to let our girls wear her crown - another special moment (our girls absolutely love her). We then took the girls for a well earned ice cream sundae followed by a nap.
We then spent a frenetic evening at our closing party at ESPN Zone which involved the appearance of a very special guest with Miss America - Elmo! They sang together and for the girls, meeting the President and Elmo the same day was almost too much. Mark Wills sang a set including a great song from his new album and we then ate dinner followed by free games all night in the arcade. For the parents this was an emotional night as we bid farewell to our new found friends and traded war stories of our miracle children.
This was the capstone of a wonderful event. We have made new friends and seen our girls mature in their interactions with this group of people. Tomorrow we fly home but the memories we have made will last forever.
It started off with a radio interview at 7:10 am. We managed to get everyone up and ready to go and then at 7 am we got a call saying they'd pushed us off to 8:20. well at least it gave us time to get some cereal into the girls and get to Starbucks for some Chai. A quick shuttle to the station and we got a few minutes on air on the Hudson Valley Music station along with country music star Mark Wills. He's been traveling with our group but he's been on a different bus so we really haven't gotten to know him very well. But he's great with the kids. After that Mommy tried to get the girls to sleep a bit more but no luck. So we shopped for souvenirs, read stories and took baths before our White House visit.
Our group was right on time but we had to wait until the Prime Minister of Australia left the White House. We waved to his motorcade and then were invited in. The security screen wasn't as bad as we expected since we'd been warned in advance only to take our cameras.
Once inside the White House we got to see the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, the reception room, etc. There was somebody in each room to answer questions. Plenty of pictures and even a nice family photo on the sofa in the red room.
After our tour, we were taken outside on the South lawn and we got organized for our photos with the President. When we were ready President Obama came out. He made sure he shook hands with each child and then asked if the kids had any questions. We learned that Michelle, Malia and Sasha were in Camp David for spring break. The President likes horses and he is 47, soon to be 48. He then faced a tough question on what his plans were for healthcare for children. He treated the question seriously and set out his thinking. At that point he indicated Sasha and Malia's swing set and gave a "Presidential order" that the Champions go and play on it before disappearing to a meeting in the West Wing. This set the Secret Service folks into overdrive wrangling 53 young kids for the next 30 minutes! The swing set is located close to the Rose Garden presenting some wonderful photo opportunities
Some time later the President re-emerged from the West Wing meeting and came to talk to the kids again, thanking them for coming. Suffice to say he is an incredibly charismatic figure up close and was wonderful with the kids. We later learned that the swing set was installed the day before his girls left for Camp David so the Champions were practically the first test pilots on it. We were then ushered out of the White House which gave Miss America the chance to let our girls wear her crown - another special moment (our girls absolutely love her). We then took the girls for a well earned ice cream sundae followed by a nap.
We then spent a frenetic evening at our closing party at ESPN Zone which involved the appearance of a very special guest with Miss America - Elmo! They sang together and for the girls, meeting the President and Elmo the same day was almost too much. Mark Wills sang a set including a great song from his new album and we then ate dinner followed by free games all night in the arcade. For the parents this was an emotional night as we bid farewell to our new found friends and traded war stories of our miracle children.
This was the capstone of a wonderful event. We have made new friends and seen our girls mature in their interactions with this group of people. Tomorrow we fly home but the memories we have made will last forever.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tour of DC and Capitol Hill
Todays big events were a bus tour of DC, pictures of all the champions and the entire group in front of the Capitol followed by lunch at Capitol Hill.
The girls didn't seem impressed by the tour of DC, though Jim and I enjoyed it very much. They also weren't very impressed by the stories I was trying to conjure up about the Presidents to keep them interested in the monuments they were seeing. We told them that Daddy had lived in Washington, England which is where George Washington's ancestors had come from (yawn), then we told them the famous story about George Washington cutting down the cherry tree (that one got a glimmer of interest), the Boston Tea Party and throwing the silver dollar across the Potomac River (yawn yawn). My career at conjuring up an interest in my girls around American history was capped off with Kayla saying "Momma, don't tell us those stories. Tell us the Snow White story again." Good thing I'm not a teacher, I guess!
At Capitol Hill Orrin Hatch welcomed us and kicked off lunch. There were about a dozen senators who made an appearance and greeted the Champions from their states. Several other families have meetings with their state representatives tomorrow. I'm sorry to say New York representatives were not among the present. But that's OK. It was still fun to see the other Senators and to meet and enjoy the other families and children. Kayla and Keira made a new best friend (besides Miss America). Katie D'Arcy from Michigan. You can read her story on the CMN website, but briefly, two years ago on New Years Eve Kathie's father was flying Katie and two of her friends home from a 4 day ski trip and their plane crashed. The crash unfortunately killed Katie's father and left her critically injured - with just about every bone in her body broken or fractured. Katie is a beautiful and kind young woman who is focused on becoming a pediatrician. Judging from the way she was with our girls, she will be a very successful one. My girls spoke to her a mile a minute and we had to pry them off her to get back to the buses.
Keira feel asleep in my arms on the way back to the hotel so soundly she was snoring and so we decided a nap was in order. Mommy stayed back at the hotel with the girls while Daddy went to "Newseum" and had a great time. Tonight is family free time, so we will meet our dear friend Cindy for dinner; and then to bed early as we have a morning radio show we've been asked to participate in at 7:10 am tomorrow followed by our big White House event and then a closing dinner with the families.
Wish us luck getting the twins up, ready and out the door in time...
The girls didn't seem impressed by the tour of DC, though Jim and I enjoyed it very much. They also weren't very impressed by the stories I was trying to conjure up about the Presidents to keep them interested in the monuments they were seeing. We told them that Daddy had lived in Washington, England which is where George Washington's ancestors had come from (yawn), then we told them the famous story about George Washington cutting down the cherry tree (that one got a glimmer of interest), the Boston Tea Party and throwing the silver dollar across the Potomac River (yawn yawn). My career at conjuring up an interest in my girls around American history was capped off with Kayla saying "Momma, don't tell us those stories. Tell us the Snow White story again." Good thing I'm not a teacher, I guess!
At Capitol Hill Orrin Hatch welcomed us and kicked off lunch. There were about a dozen senators who made an appearance and greeted the Champions from their states. Several other families have meetings with their state representatives tomorrow. I'm sorry to say New York representatives were not among the present. But that's OK. It was still fun to see the other Senators and to meet and enjoy the other families and children. Kayla and Keira made a new best friend (besides Miss America). Katie D'Arcy from Michigan. You can read her story on the CMN website, but briefly, two years ago on New Years Eve Kathie's father was flying Katie and two of her friends home from a 4 day ski trip and their plane crashed. The crash unfortunately killed Katie's father and left her critically injured - with just about every bone in her body broken or fractured. Katie is a beautiful and kind young woman who is focused on becoming a pediatrician. Judging from the way she was with our girls, she will be a very successful one. My girls spoke to her a mile a minute and we had to pry them off her to get back to the buses.
Keira feel asleep in my arms on the way back to the hotel so soundly she was snoring and so we decided a nap was in order. Mommy stayed back at the hotel with the girls while Daddy went to "Newseum" and had a great time. Tonight is family free time, so we will meet our dear friend Cindy for dinner; and then to bed early as we have a morning radio show we've been asked to participate in at 7:10 am tomorrow followed by our big White House event and then a closing dinner with the families.
Wish us luck getting the twins up, ready and out the door in time...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Travel Day
Today was our travel day from Disney to DC - an impressive logistical feat. We dropped our luggage off, grabbed breakfast, checked out and basically hung out with the other families until it was time to go. Then we all got loaded onto buses and off to a private airport. The buses drove directly onto the tarmac where our chartered Delta flight was waiting for us.
We did have to pass through a quick no hassle security check before boarding our flight. One of the pilots and a few delta crew members in Make Miracles Happen t-shirts were also on the tarmac for pictures with the children. We didn't snap any - but the CMN photographer got a great one of the pilot with Kayla and Keira wearing his cap.
The Orlando fire department was also on hand and they saluted the plane with a shower from their fire hose as the plane passed them along the runway. The kids loved it! The Delta crew couldn't have been more kind and helpful. Delta is also a big CMN supporter. In fact, we met several Delta sponsors at the Meet the Sponsors event on Thursday night.
On the bus I happened to mention to Aubrey, one of the CMN staff, that Keira was having some trouble with her ear and I hoped it would not bother her too much during the flight. Next thing I know the family doctor who is traveling with the group was on our bus asking if she could peek in Keira's ear. Sure enough an ear infection. The doctor said she'd call in a prescription into a pharmacy near the hotel in DC and it would be awaiting our arrival at the hotel. Wow!!
Keira had an awful flight with her ear giving her lots of pain and she really wasn't herself the entire day, except when she encountered Miss America. On the bus into DC, Miss America offered for the girls to sit on her lap during the bus ride, which they both gladly accepted (along with two other little girls who sat around her). She is wonderful with the children. I could hear Kayla chatting away and telling her she was going to have a Sundae because it was Sunday...something she'd talked her Daddy into earlier in the week. The girls did not stay with her the entire time, and once back with us, Keira resumed her fussiness and complaining over her ear as if she hadn't just moments before been sitting a few seats away flirting with her new role model!!
Anyway, we were able to meet a few more of the families and kids during this journey and we arrived relatively unscathed at the hotel. Baths, a quick snack, and some prescription medicine and hopefully we will be as good as new tomorrow for our Capital Hill luncheon and Bus Tour of DC.
We did have to pass through a quick no hassle security check before boarding our flight. One of the pilots and a few delta crew members in Make Miracles Happen t-shirts were also on the tarmac for pictures with the children. We didn't snap any - but the CMN photographer got a great one of the pilot with Kayla and Keira wearing his cap.
The Orlando fire department was also on hand and they saluted the plane with a shower from their fire hose as the plane passed them along the runway. The kids loved it! The Delta crew couldn't have been more kind and helpful. Delta is also a big CMN supporter. In fact, we met several Delta sponsors at the Meet the Sponsors event on Thursday night.
On the bus I happened to mention to Aubrey, one of the CMN staff, that Keira was having some trouble with her ear and I hoped it would not bother her too much during the flight. Next thing I know the family doctor who is traveling with the group was on our bus asking if she could peek in Keira's ear. Sure enough an ear infection. The doctor said she'd call in a prescription into a pharmacy near the hotel in DC and it would be awaiting our arrival at the hotel. Wow!!
Keira had an awful flight with her ear giving her lots of pain and she really wasn't herself the entire day, except when she encountered Miss America. On the bus into DC, Miss America offered for the girls to sit on her lap during the bus ride, which they both gladly accepted (along with two other little girls who sat around her). She is wonderful with the children. I could hear Kayla chatting away and telling her she was going to have a Sundae because it was Sunday...something she'd talked her Daddy into earlier in the week. The girls did not stay with her the entire time, and once back with us, Keira resumed her fussiness and complaining over her ear as if she hadn't just moments before been sitting a few seats away flirting with her new role model!!
Anyway, we were able to meet a few more of the families and kids during this journey and we arrived relatively unscathed at the hotel. Baths, a quick snack, and some prescription medicine and hopefully we will be as good as new tomorrow for our Capital Hill luncheon and Bus Tour of DC.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A leisurely morning today with the girls sleeping as late as they wanted to. Keira took it to the extreme sleeping until 11 but both girls were well rested. In the early afternoon we headed out to Epcot - a last minute change of plan due to the time.
We had a wonderful day and the girls got to create masks as we went around the world in the World Showcase. We had some nice Fish and Chips in "United Kingdom" for lunch and Mexican food in....wait for it..."Mexico"!
We returned to the hotel as fireworks lit the air. A fitting end to an extraordinary few days in Disney. As we pack our cases ready for our charter flight to Washington DC we look forward to the next exciting chapter in our journey.
We had a wonderful day and the girls got to create masks as we went around the world in the World Showcase. We had some nice Fish and Chips in "United Kingdom" for lunch and Mexican food in....wait for it..."Mexico"!
We returned to the hotel as fireworks lit the air. A fitting end to an extraordinary few days in Disney. As we pack our cases ready for our charter flight to Washington DC we look forward to the next exciting chapter in our journey.
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