Falling under the spell

Our big trip started with a most unwelcome bang, but against all odds, it ended with a week's worth of great, unforgettable times and sweet memories.

My family's long-standing vacation curse of sick kids refused to die, even with so much at stake. I don't know why I didn't anticipate this. "Everyone stay healthy!" Mark and I called out in the weeks leading up to our trip. But I guess, pessimistic though I am, even I didn't believe that fate could deal us such a cruel hand.

When I dropped Paul off at school on the day before our trip, he and Gus and I happily chirped about Disney World eve. However, when I picked him up, I immediately saw something was wrong. Paul looked green, and then he uttered those most frightening pre-vacation words: "I feel weird."

I took Paul's temperature when we got home, and he was at 99.9. I maniacally, foolishly hoped that it would turn out to be nothing major. My hopes were dashed when less than two hours later, his temp had spiked to 103.


A gag, pun intended, thank God.

In desperation, Mark took Paul to FastCare, all of us praying that there would be some simple, easily remedied explanation. Paul came home with a diagnosis of possible sinus infection and a prescription for antibiotics. He had been sick with cough and cold symptoms for a couple weeks. I was slightly heartened.

Paul downed his dose of amoxicillin ... and promptly threw up about half an hour later. We went to bed, still holding on to hope. When our boy vomited at 1:30 a.m. and again at 3, my optimism evaporated.

I managed little sleep that night, my mind churning with how we'd get through this. How would we get a vomiting boy through two flights? Airlines are not exactly amenable to working with passengers to change flights when situations arise. Could we postpone somehow? Drive to Florida instead? What if we all got sick?

The day of our trip dawned, and Paul looked moderately better. Mark and I watched him closely and bombarded him with queries about how he was feeling. Miraculously, by the time we needed to leave for our flight, our guy looked remarkably stable.

After all the initial adversity, the rest of our trip was cloaked with good fortune. The flights went seamlessly, arriving early even. The boys were champion flyers.

One of my other small worries was me. I'm a rather tense person, to put it mildly, and I often have a really hard time sitting back and relaxing, going with the flow. Furthermore, I'm a homebody. I tend to miss my home after a day or two, even if I'm someplace really nice. As much as I thrive on spending time with my family, I cherish times of solitude, too.

Yes I'd always wanted to visit Disney World, but I remained skeptical about how much I'd be into the whole scene. "Do you think it'll be really ... theme park-ish?" I asked Mark nervously, picturing myself spending an entire week at Six Flags Great America.

My fears evaporated when I actually saw the Magic Kingdom. Nearly everything about our experience was a pleasant surprise and exceeded my expectations. With very few exceptions, the people - "cast members" - treated us amazing well, and everything at every property is impeccably maintained.

The parks were incredible, especially the beautiful Animal Kingdom, probably my personal favorite. But one of the best parts of the trip for me was taking in all that's different about Florida. We relished watching tiny lizards scurry past, observing different kinds of trees and foliage, becoming acquainted with white ibises, which apparently as common to Florida as seagulls are to us. Then of course there are the stunning sunsets set against palm tree backdrops.

I have cherished memories from each and every person in my family. For me, I'll never forget seeing the palace for the first time. I'll remember the huge smiles Mark and I shared watching the boys' reactions, Ben chattering happily about all our new experiences, Paul crowing about how much fun he'd had designing a car at Epcot's Test Track, Gus's look of wonder taking in The Lion King show, fighting Darth Maul, and falling asleep clutching his new Stitch stuffed animal.

My dad amazed me with his unwavering willingness to try anything. Ask him to go on any ride, and he was game. Similarly, my mom dazzled me with her nerve. Midway through our trip, she told me she'd decided she would try anything I would try. If I'd ride a rollercoaster, she would. That's a pretty low bar, since I'm gutless.

We did get my mom on one rollercoaster. When I asked Ben, who was my mom's seatmate, what Grandma was like on Big Thunder Mountain, he said, "She kept her eyes closed and just kept shaking her head no."

Yes, our time was beset with minor annoyances. Plenty of days, Gus would be asking to "go home" by 11 a.m., though he always rallied. "He's touching me!" was the complaint we were sure to hear many times a day. What is it with that?

Overall, though, things couldn't have gone much better. The weather was perfect - not too hot and not too cold. The day we left was cooler and rainy, and that felt significant somehow: wonderful times, now time to go home.

I guess you can count me as one of the many who has fallen for Disney World's charms.