Some Pain, All Gain

     On our first full day at Disney World, my experiences added another layer of appreciation to an already multitiered gratitude tower.  At no point during the day did my health impact our experience. It would have been possible to put the ease with with we walked around and enjoyed the Magic Kingdom as a family in the back of my mind, but I'm grateful that my body gave me an achy reminder all the way home.  

My Own Personal Super Bowl

     We kicked off our 2015 Disney World vacation by "righting a wrong" from last year.  I had not planned to do anything with my son on the football field at the All Star Sports resort during our trip in 2014, because we didn't even know it existed.  But had we been aware of it, my need for supplemental oxygen and use of a motorized scooter would have made it difficult to play with him on it.  After we arrived and saw how much he wanted to play with us on the field, we bought a football at the gift shop so I could at least throw a ball to him.  While it was nice to toss it to him as I stood next to my scooter, it was almost too tantalizing to a five year old who longed for me to be able to chase him as he spun and juked toward the end zone.  To make the most of a less than ideal situation, he and I made a routine of racing to the goal posts as we crossed the field to get from our room to the bus pick-up drop off area each morning.

First Down

"Go long!"

This photo is from the time he threw it a bit short and I fell down trying to catch it...

The Force is with Us

After an outstanding Star Wars Weekend experience, my son and I built our own light sabers. Engaging in an epic battle like the one in the photo would not have been possible last year...

Horsing Around

Just one of the many things I was able to do on this Disney trip because of these wonderful new lungs...

The Pre-Transplanted Dad: "'Light Bulb' vs. 'Wow' Moments"

     As the hustle and bustle of getting on the road to Disney hits high gear, I will be putting my weekday updates of the blog on hold.  I plan to offer some photographic updates at least a few times while we are away, or I may just wait until I return... but I will be quickly diving back into Lake Educator as soon as I get home.  (Not any real lakes, though, I'm still too immunosuppressed.)  
This entry is from February 2011, just as the previous one was.

The Pre-Transplanted Dad: "Give Us Your Babies"

     As the topic of work and meetings is looming large in my life right now, I decided it was a good time to mine my old blog, which I kept up for six months during 2011.  It was exclusively about how my life as a parent and a teacher intersected as I raised my then two and a half year old son.  Since I was working at the time and then entered a summer with an almost 3 year old, my commitment to it fizzled.  But, because this week we are gearing up for a trip to Disney World, I also have the perfect excuse to cut a few corners... I mean, recycle.  Yes, recycle.  Here are some of my thoughts from February 2011.