Don't Wait

The first time I went to Disney World I was 24 years old.  Erik and I were married in May of 1999, and that Christmas his family took us to Disney.  The "kids" were ages 21, 22, 24 and 26.  His parents were so proud to take us, even though we were a little older than the average family there.  We had such a great time.  I will never forget the memories we made there.

Isabella was born in October of 2002 and that Christmas Kent (Erik's dad) asked how soon he could take his granddaughter to Disney!  We asked that he wait a couple of years.  Nate was born in April of 2004 and again Kent asked when he could take his grandkids to Disney and again we asked him to wait.  Finally, in December of 2006, we said OK, we could start planning a trip.  The kids were still very young but he SO wanted to take them, I knew we couldn't put him off much longer.  We agreed to go in spring of 2008.  That gave him 18 months to plan the trip of his grandkids dreams!  Kent passed away in March of 2007.  He never got to take his grandkids to Disney World.  The one thing he wanted so very much to do, he never got the chance.  I kept telling him to wait.  And we waited too long.  

We did take the kids to Disney in Spring of 2008, just like we had planned.  We left on the one year anniversary of his death.  JT was 6 months old, Nate was almost 4 and Isabella was 5.  The WHOLE family went, my family of 5, Erik's mom and sisters and sister's fiancés, even great-Aunt Kristin joined us.  It was quite the group and we had a wonderful time.  But we all knew someone was missing.

Tomorrow we leave once again for Disney World.  This time it is just my family of 5.  Erik and I, Isabella, Nate and JT.  We could have waited, we just did a family vacation in July.  We could have waited a couple more years, waited till there was more money in the bank, waited until summer when the kids were off of school or at least until Spring Break.  But we didn't want to wait.  There are some things in this life that you just can't wait until the "right" time to do them.  I'm taking my kids to Disney because memories are more important than money in the bank.  Time as a family is more important than a basketball game.  Life is too precious, and sometimes too short.  So we are not going to wait.