The Disney Wonder

In January of this year, we still hadn’t made any travel plans for spring break. This was not due to procrastination; a friend and I had submitted a proposal to present at the state math conference and we were waiting to hear if it had been accepted. Since the conference falls over the second weekend of my spring break – this coming weekend – any travel would have to fit within a very specific few days.

Our proposal was accepted, and from there, travel planning began. We started looking at different places to visit, and just for the heck of it, we decided to look at Disney cruises. We were sure that if there were even a cruise during the time (a long shot in and of itself), there would be no availability. And let me explain that had this turned out to be the case, we would not have been heartbroken. We had never been on a cruise of any sort, and had only flirted with idea of a Disney cruise to check more items off our Disney to-do list. We have never for a single moment considered ourselves “cruise people” and “cruising” is not something that has ever been particularly appealing to us.

Well, as fate would have it, there was a cruise that worked out perfectly with our time constraints. Perfectly. The cruise left Friday and returned Wednesday, meaning I could go to class on Thursday, we could leave for the cruise, return home late Wednesday night, and I could go to the conference Thursday through Saturday. We could not have timed it better, so we checked the availability of our beloved Fairy Dogmother, and then booked it. While we were excited, we also had a sense of trepidation because we really didn’t know what to expect, despite reading what we could find online.

Fast forward to the end of February, when Ginny started having back pain. We immediately questioned whether we should go or not, and we remained in this state of limbo until the day we were scheduled to leave. As I have already written about, our family was fantastic and insisted we go, so we left Ginny and her post-surgery care in the excellent hands of my mom and hit the road to Florida once I got home from class last Thursday night.

We left our house at 9:00 pm and drove through the night, much of it in torrential rain. We arrived in Miami at 12:30 pm on Friday, parked, checked in, and were on the ship at 2:00 pm. Yes, we do realize how crazy that was!

On to the cruise…

We had a wonderful time. We still do not consider ourselves “cruise people,” but we certainly loved it. Better than we had anticipated, which is always a pleasant surprise – our expectations were exceeded at every turn!

after being up for almost 36 hours,
I was more than ready for the ship to set sail
just so I could take a nap

First off, our room was great – much more spacious than we thought it would be, and ours was located on deck 7 and had a private verandah. The stargazing we were able to do from our verandah was amazing – millions of stars were visible – and we returned from dinner each night to find an adorable towel creature waiting for us!

The service was impeccable.  IMPECCABLE.  The most attentive and personable staff we have ever encountered – they put regular Disney employees to shame with how they treated us.  We were blown away from the moment we walked onto the ship until the moment we walked off.  Seriously.  I know I rave about Disney stuff all the time, but this level of service is unmatched even in the Disney realm.

Case in point: one of our biggest fears about the cruise was how the dining was going to work. Not only the menus (which we were also worried about since we are vegetarians), but the actual seating arrangements. To be honest, we were not interested in making friends or meeting new people and as such, had no desire to dine with others. We just wanted to hang out with one another! On the first night, we shared this with the head server, and he immediately got us a private table that was ours for the entire cruise. He met with us throughout the cruise to see if our food had been prepared to our liking and to preview the next day’s menu with us and special order anything we wanted if we didn’t see something on the menu that struck our fancy. We had the same pair of servers for each of our sit-down meals who were funny and charming and took great care to make sure everything was perfect. It was great to get to know them and discuss travel with them.

Our main restaurant was Triton’s, whose theme was The Little Mermaid, but we also had dinner at Parrot Cay, and our favorite, Animator’s Palate. We loved Animator’s Palate because it was the one thing we were really looking forward to on the cruise. The restaurant starts off black and white, with the staff dressed in black and white and the menus in black and white. As the meal progresses, color is slowly added to the lighting and artwork all around the restaurant, and by the end of the meal, everything is in full color and the staff’s attire and the menus are colorful as well. Sorcerer Mickey makes an appearance and the staff dances with him to the soundtrack of Fantasmic! We absolutely loved it. Room service was amazing as well, particularly the secret item not listed on the menu – Mickey ice cream bars. If you know me, you know these are one of my favorite things to eat in the entire world, so to be able to pick up the phone and have them in hand minutes later was awesome.

 

The ship itself is beautiful! We had such a great time just roaming around and exploring all it had to offer. Given that I always have homework – always – we were able to find quiet spots all over the ship where I could read or type with little distraction. The bars and lounges were great for this, as they were typically pretty empty and away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship. One of my favorite nights was when we skipped the pirate party (we could not have been less interested in that loud chaos!) to hang out in the Cadillac Lounge where we were two of only five people in the entire place and the pianist chatted with C and played our requests while I read. Such a perfect night. Around the ship the next day, various crew members asked if we had enjoyed the pirate party the night before, and when we told them we had skipped it in favor of the Cadillac Lounge, the general consensus from them was that we’d made a very wise choice. We were pretty pleased with ourselves.

This particular cruise did not go to Disney’s island, Castaway Cay, but it did go to Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico. We did an excursion at each of these ports, even though this is not really our idea of authentic sightseeing. The Grand Cayman excursion was to a turtle farm where they breed and release green turtles. The turtles were beautiful and I loved seeing them up close and holding the little ones. I felt terrible about that decision afterwards because I don't really want to support any organization that exploits animals for profit in anyway (dolphin encounters and the like), and afterwards I heard some less than flattering information about the turtle farm. Lesson learned - we will thoroughly research a place before visiting it. The excursion to Cozumel the next day was quite good – we saw some Mayan ruins, took a tequila tour (during which the tour guide gave a shout out to not only the Leafs, but also to the Canadian men’s hockey team for winning the gold medal), and visited a Mexican heritage museum. Not sure we would do many excursions in the future, though…we just loved the ship so much and felt like the time we spent on the excursions would have been more enjoyable on the ship.

Cruises seem to be known for their entertainment, and the Disney Wonder was no exception. There was live theater each night and character appearances throughout each day. We went to the live show on the first night, but did not see any of the others, although there were simultaneously broadcast on the TVs in case you wanted to see them while hanging out in your room. Instead of the live shows, we went to the movies twice. Yep, the movies! The movie theater on board was stunning and showed Disney movies throughout the day – Planes, Monsters University, Thor, Saving Mr. Banks, and Frozen (regular, 3D, and sing-along versions!). We saw Frozen in 3D and Saving Mr. Banks – and can I just say I have no idea who votes for the Academy Awards, but how Saving Mr. Banks was passed over, I will never understand. Emma Thompson was brilliant.

Finally, the highlight of the cruise for me was something so simple, yet so wonderful – truly my personal definition of paradise: non-stop Disney movies on the TV in our room. One channel for Disney movies, one channel for Pixar movies, and one channel dedicated to documentaries about Disney and Pixar. Between these three channels and Mickey ice cream bars being delivered, there was almost no reason to ever leave the room. I was so happy! So very happy! Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Bambi, Lilo and Stitch, Fantasia, Robin Hood, Lion King, Mulan, Lady and the Tramp, Toy Story, Cars, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Cars 2, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles…and these are the ones I can remember! There was also a Disney music channel that showed clips from movies around the clock. I have only one question: how can I get these channels at home?!?

We left Miami at 10:30 am in 85 degree weather and arrived home at 3:00 am in 30 degree weather. We were greeted by some very happy gals upon our arrival and are so grateful for my mom’s excellent care because Ginny looks spectacular!

Happy Tails to you!

Ginny comes home!

So about 40 hours after Ginny's surgery, I got a call that she could come home.  40 hours!  Can we just let that sink in for a minute?

I am going to say it - and forgive me if this is boastful - but my dogs are badass.  Seriously.  Each one amazes me every time they go through something with how they not only survive, but thrive.  Small, yes, but oh so fierce.

Ginny did so well that there was initially some talk of her coming home yesterday - one day after her surgery! - but they kept her on her IV pain medication for the better part of the day, so she stayed an extra night.  But the call I received at 7 am this morning was all good news!

We arranged to pick her up at 2 pm and my mom came with me to sit with her while I drove.  When they brought her into the room, she went crazy with excited little cries and a madly wagging tail.  I pretty much knew then that things were going to be ok.

I have to say how phenomenal the doctors and staff are at Bush Veterinary Neurological Service in Leesburg.  The attention and care Ginny received was astounding.  They really treated her like royalty and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

All of this has put our minds at ease, because we have been wrestling with a decision ever since Ginny's back pain began.  We had booked a Disney Cruise for spring break and were past the point of being able to get any type of refund if we cancelled.  From this past Saturday until this afternoon, we were unsure of whether we would go or not, and on Tuesday, when surgery became a reality, we were convinced we shouldn't go.  We wanted to be able to bring Ginny home ourselves, which may seem silly to some people, but was very important to us.

We talked it over with the neurologist and he assured us that the care Ginny would require whether she had the surgery that day or in two weeks (which is what we were initially thinking) would essentially be the same:  meds, rest, and no physical activity.  After explaining that my mom would be taking care of our girls, he told us we should go ahead and take our trip.  Despite this, we were still unsure and decided to wait and see how Ginny did with the surgery.  The cruise leaves from Miami tomorrow afternoon, meaning we would have to leave tonight after I got home from class in order to drive down to Florida overnight.

So as I type this, I am in the passenger seat with my favorite travel partner at the wheel and we are headed off on our next Disney adventure.

Why have we decided to go despite our many reservations?  Because my mom is the most incredible mom on the planet.  She has been insisting all week that we go.  She takes care of our dogs all the time and she is a brilliant nurse, so obviously we weren't worried about the care Ginny was going to receive...we just felt extremely selfish to leave her right after surgery - especially when we weren't sure she'd be home before the weekend.

My awesome brothers and sister-to-be were also adamant we go and will be helping my mom while we are away.  I don't know how to put into words how fortunate I feel to have such a loving and supportive family.  I am grateful beyond measure.

Ginny is now settled at home on a pile of soft blankets in her new playpen in the family room with her buddies around her and family to love her and tend to her every need.  What more could anyone ask for?

Here are some photos of our little gal.  She's got 15 staples down her spine, but it's nothing she can't handle!

You can read about the surgery here:

Ginny's Surgery

Happy Tails to you!

Ginny's Surgery

Ginny’s MRI revealed two ruptured disks – one that was compressing her spinal cord and one that was causing pressure with her nerves.  We did not like hearing that two disks were problematic, but the fact that they were next to each other along her spine was a good thing, because both could be dealt with in one surgery.

She was still under anesthesia when the neurologist met with us to share these findings and subsequently recommend surgery.  In layman’s terms, the material leaking out of the disks was described to us as having a toothpaste-like consistency.  If left untreated, it is similar to a glob of toothpaste being left in a sink – it hardens and is very difficult to remove.  If surgery is done while it is still malleable, it is much easier to remove.

After taking into account all of the doctor’s advice, there was almost no discussion required – we agreed that surgery was the best route.  Because Ginny is young (five-and-a-half) and very healthy, she was a good candidate for the surgery and her recovery should proceed smoothly.  We hope she will be back to normal after many months of crate-rest and limited activity.

We left her in very capable hands, but were worried all day.  When the neurologist called, he told us that the surgery was fairly successful and that Ginny was awake and doing well.

As far as what was accomplished, the first disk proved to be troublesome, as that material had indeed hardened already and there was not much they could do to address it.  This indicates that this particular disk had been ruptured for some period of time.  We hope this means that even though she was living with a ruptured disk, it was not what was responsible for her issues because she only really showed signs of pain in the last two to three weeks.

The second disk yielded much better news.  They were able to remove all of the material that was pressing on her nerves because it was still very pliable, meaning that rupture likely happened sometime in recent weeks – which aligns with her behavior.  The neurologist was quite optimistic about what this means for Ginny in terms of relief, recovery, and return to normalcy.

She will be staying at the hospital for at least a few days and will be released once the doctors believe she is out of the woods.  She should definitely be home by the end of this weekend, and possibly sooner if things go well.

So now we wait.  The other three dogs have no idea what’s going on or where Ginny is, and I will go so far as to say they are depressed.  There has been no barking all day.  Not a peep.  That speaks volumes, because they always bark!

I’ll end with a photo of Maddy.  She spent all day on this blanket, waiting for her buddy to come home.  It was both pathetic and adorable:

You can read about Ginny's return home here:

Ginny Comes Home!

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: When You Wish Upon a Star

I’ve been trying to decide which song to feature this week, and this one seems particularly appropriate.

Our little Ginny has been having a lot of back trouble lately.  We’ve been to our regular vet three times in the past two weeks and were referred to a neurologist this past Saturday.

Dachshunds are notorious for having back issues; their long bodies and their tendency to jump up to and down from the furniture can be a deadly combination.  Several years ago, we removed the headboard/footboard/frame from our bed and just have our box spring and mattress on the floor in hopes of minimizing any stress to our girls’ backs.  They spend their days in the family room and kitchen with no access to the stairs, and we have been fairly lucky up to this point with none of our six dogs experiencing major back issues (although you may recall that one of our family dogs, Holly, suffered a ruptured disk and was paralyzed as a result).

Ginny is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow morning and we are hoping it provides some answers for us. 

When You Wish Upon a Star

from Pinocchio

When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Fate is kind

She brings to those who love

The sweet fulfillment of

Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true

Music by Leigh Herline

Lyrics by Ned Washington

Happy Tails to you!

Celebrating Chelsea!

15 years ago today, I became a mom.  Not to a human child, but to a tiny 3.25-pound puppy we named Chelsea.  There are so many things I love about this dog that if I attempted to list them all, I would never stop writing.  So here are a few:

From day one, she's had a mind of her own and is extremely choosy about who she deems worthy of her affection.  But once you make the cut, her loyalty is unparalleled.

She has survived seven pretty serious attacks from other dogs, the removal of many of her teeth as she has aged, and various minor surgical procedures like a trooper.  Don't let her size fool you - she is a tough chick.

She has only stayed in a kennel overnight twice in her life.  The first time she did fine, because she was pretty young and not yet stubborn and obstinate.  The second time, her "report card" declared her to be "feisty" - a big word for a little seven-pound dog.  Spot on.  She certainly rules the roost at our house and expresses her displeasure toward the other dogs with one sharp bark - her version of "Knock it off!" - when she is annoyed with them.

She is the best car traveler - she curls up in her little bed in the back seat and doesn't make a peep, whether is it a ten-minute or ten-hour drive.  Although if the other dogs are in the car, too, she'll give them the aforementioned bark because they walk around in the car, which irritates her.

She is comical!  For years, a neighbor's golden retriever came over to our house whenever we were outside because he so badly wanted to be friends with Chelsea.  Chelsea wouldn't even entertain the thought and would just shake uncontrollably and yelp pathetically until we took her inside.  One day, she'd had just about enough of his advances.  He lumbered over when he spotted us outside, and she high-tailed into the garage to avoid him.  He followed her in there, and that was it.  He'd gone too far.  The next thing we saw was this giant, furry dog being chased out of the garage by our tiny dog using her most ferocious bark.  Had I been videorecording the event, I have no doubt I would be much wealthier today thanks to AFV.

My favorite Chelsea story is from when we were living in Chicago.  There was a gas leak in our apartment and so we had no heat while repairs needed to be done (might I mention this was Chicago in January!).  I was teaching kindergarten at that time at a corporate child care center, so I called work and explained the situation.  I told my boss that either I was not coming to work that day, or I would have to bring Chelsea with me because I had no intention of leaving her alone in a freezing cold apartment while maintenance people traipsed in and out.  My boss didn't hesitate and told me to bring her in.  Twenty five-year olds and one very small dog made for an interesting day.  The kids were so sweet and crumpled up sheets of paper for her to play with and taped sheets of paper together to create blankets for her.  To this day, I smile when I think about that.  Chelsea was so well-behaved that day, despite being held and petted by small, clumsy, sticky hands for eight hours.

She is now our little old lady, with a lot of frosting on her face.  But still feisty as ever.  <3

Chelsea, 1999

Chelsea, 2014

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!

You Can Fly!  You Can Fly!  You Can Fly!

from Peter Pan

Think of a wonderful thought,

Any merry little thought,

Think of Christmas, think of snow,
think of sleigh bells…off you go!

Like reindeer in the sky!

You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!

Think of the happiest things,

It's the same as having wings,

Take the path that moonbeams make,

If the moon is still awake,

You'll see him wink his eye!

You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!

Off you go with a heigh and ho

With the stars beyond the blue

There's a neverland waiting for you
Where all your happy dreams come true

Every dream that you dream will come true

When there's a smile in your heart

There's no better time to start

Think of all the joy you'll find

When you leave the world behind

And bid your fears good bye

You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!

Written by Sammy Cahn and Sammy Fain

Happy Tails to you!