Ellie Grace Volk

Monday, 7pm:  Please forgive me for not updating while we were on our trip.  We left our hotel room early in the morning and did not return until late at night.  But, I knew you would understand!

We had an amazing time on our trip.  Make-A-Wish lined up a first class adventure for us.  We stayed at a resort called "Give Kids the World" which was built for kids with life-threatening illnesses.  The staff and volunteers there were incredible and made our trip extra special.  It was a little village which we could travel around by a cute train.  We could go to an ice cream parlor which had free ice cream all day or go to a movie or ride horses... tons to do.  Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time there as we were gone most days.  But we did love the time we were able to spend there.

Give Kids the World and Make-A-Wish lined up passes for us for all of the Disney parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios....), plus Universal Studios, Sea World and NASA.  They also provided us with a special pass which allowed us to skip lines.  We were always taken through back stairways or secret elevators.  We never waited in any lines!  We were truly given the VIP treatment.  For example, one time Ellie and I saw a line to meet some Disney princesses.  The sign said the wait was 2 hours.  As soon as the employees saw us walk up with our pass around our neck, they ushered us throw a side door and Ellie was taken to a room to have a private meeting with the princesses.  She had as much time as she wanted with them.

Of course, the older kids loved having that pass for all of the big rides.  They rode every ride they wanted without waiting.  It was incredible!  We have many stories like this one: Ellie and I went to the Barney show (yes, I know you're jealous that I got to see Barney!!).  After the show, we were told to stay in our seats as everyone left.  So Ellie and I sat there as the theater emptied.  When everyone else was gone, the doors were shut and Barney came back onstage.  He sat with Ellie, talked to her and hugged her.  She had one-on-one time with him by herself.  She loved it!

Each day, we rode rides, saw shows, ate great food and ended the day with either a fireworks show or a different fun show.  We visited every park!

One day, we chose to go to the beach.  Ellie has never been to the ocean and wanted to see a beach.  We decided to go to the gulf side of Florida so it wouldn't be as choppy or cold.  We went to Clearwater Beach and it was beautiful!  We spent the entire day and evening there.  We watched the sunset and ate at a fun restaurant right on the beach.  It was a wonderful day.  Ellie loved the water and didn't want to leave - actually none of us wanted to leave!

On the last day, we split up. The boys did NASA and the girls went back to Magic Kingdom so Ellie could have one last hoorah at Disney.  She had a great day and we topped it off by getting her a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobidi Boutique salon.  Ellie loved getting the royal treatment!  She was able to pick out any princess she wanted to be.  She chose Ariel and she was able to pick out the gown, shoes and tiara she wanted.  They gave her a hairstyle (actually, for Ellie, they had a wig for her), makeup and a manicure.  She was in heaven!   We met the boys at Epcot for dinner and fireworks.  It was a great ending to our trip. 

We have over 600 pictures, but I won't bore you with those.  I did, however, pick out a few to share with you.  If you want to see them, simply click on this link:  www.volkfamilymakeawishtrip.shutterfly.com. Once you get to the photo site, click on the small picture of me and the kids.  It will make it larger.  You can click on it again to make it even larger or create a slideshow.

We were overwhelmed by this amazing trip.  It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  We are so grateful to everyone from Disney, Make-A-Wish, Give Kids the World... and everyone we met.  God put incredible people in our path.  We were humbled by the generosity we were shown.  We were surround by blessings all week!  We are truly very appreciative.

"And be thankful."  Colossians 3:15