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From Moscow to Mickey – My Little Girl’s Journey to the Fort (DaveInTN and Family Spend Thanksgiving With The Fiends!)

DaveInTN

By DaveInTN,
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DaveInTN

DaveInTN 3,247

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Well, my fine Fiends, it’s time for me to begin this trip report. The DaveInTN gang just got home from spending a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Fort. And what a great trip we had! 10 nights at our favorite place on the planet, beautiful Fort Wilderness. I’m excited to share with you all everything we did, everything we ate, and everyone we visited with. But a word of warning to y’all…we did not plan any park days on this trip. Our plan was to relax, spend time with Fiends, and bring our little Anna to the Fort for the first time. Oh, and to EAT. If you live for park pics, or if you don’t enjoy some good pood forn, this may not be the trip report for you. For those of you with nothing better to do, let’s get going.

But before we get rolling….it is my custom to present headlines in my trip reports; the highlights of our trip that I will build this report around. I also like to keep my readers interested due to the incredibly boring commentary that will unfold on this thread over the next couple of weeks. So, without further adieu, here we go!

In this report, you can expect to read:

  • The Beginning
  • Wetlanta
  • GAG Me With A Fry
  • I’m A Blessed Man
  • Now I Have TWO Princesses To Mock
  • Loop De Doo
  • Slap That Duck!
  • My Super Fast Dead Kenny Cart
  • Is That A Moose??
  • Ohhhh…..(wait for it)…..HANA!!!!
    and,
  • What Do Russia, Costa Rica and Wisconsin Have In Common??

So, where do we begin? At the beginning, of course! Only in this case, the beginning requires us to take a step back in time for a moment. We need to venture a few years into the past before we can make sense of the present. This was a special trip for me. And I'll explain all that in due course. But for now, let's start at the beginning....in the past.

So, if you’re ready, step into the Delorean, buckle up and let’s go! Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas. We’re about to hit 88mph!

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DaveInTN

Ok, got the video on youtube. Will try posting here...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pei4x-yXMs&feature=youtu.be

itsnotcindy

Wow, you are good. I even want to camp with your family.

DaveInTN

The Beginning January 16, 2008. The dead of winter in St. Petersburg, Russia. The sun rises around 10:00am and sets by 3:00pm. It is a cold and dark day. (How do I know this? They’re ALL cold and d

rdancemom... Pam

rdancemom... Pam 113

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ooooh oooh... ME TOO!!! Don't start without moi... :jumpforjoy

I am so ready for this. I even know what Russia, Costa Rica and Wisconsin have in common but I'll wait patiently downwind for you to tell me anyway... :rofl2:

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momof3kids-Yvonne

momof3kids-Yvonne 596

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All right!! I have been anxiously waiting for this one. I like that it is going to be a no park trip. I do enjoy the parks, but the consensus around here has been that we spent way too much time at the parks and not enough enjoying what the Fort had to offer when we took our first family trip two years ago.

I was thinking the other day that we travel a lot (we have to as neither of our families live near) and of course have to stay in hotels often. I realized that we treated the Fort as just another hotel. So my favorite part of all the trip reports on FF.net is when people show me just how much more there is to the Fort and Disney besides a place to sleep, a pool and amusement parks.

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DaveInTN

DaveInTN 3,247

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WOOHOO!

Yee haw!

Am I first? Great start, I'm buckled and ready to ride!!

Ok so second isn't too bad, Carol you are supposed to be decorating your tree. :P

She apparently got distracted with some WOOHOOing.

Hot dang, another Dave report. Bring it on!

Coming right up!

I'm in!! :jumpforjoy

Me too!

YIPPEE!!! I'm all in!!! :jumpforjoy:

Me all too!

ooooh oooh... ME TOO!!! Don't start without moi... :jumpforjoy

I am so ready for this. I even know what Russia, Costa Rica and Wisconsin have in common but I'll wait patiently downwind for you to tell me anyway... :rofl2:

You are a wise woman to wait downwind.

All right!! I have been anxiously waiting for this one. I like that it is going to be a no park trip. I do enjoy the parks, but the consensus around here has been that we spent way too much time at the parks and not enough enjoying what the Fort had to offer when we took our first family trip two years ago.

I was thinking the other day that we travel a lot (we have to as neither of our families live near) and of course have to stay in hotels often. I realized that we treated the Fort as just another hotel. So my favorite part of all the trip reports on FF.net is when people show me just how much more there is to the Fort and Disney besides a place to sleep, a pool and amusement parks.

The Fort is a destination by itself. It just happens to be a boat ride away from the best theme park evah!

Yea!! and I like Pam know some of the plot but I will wait for you to tell the story!!

I'm sorry Janelle, but the story may include some red solo cups. I know that is a sore subject. But I promise we won't sleep in your beds.

Best start to a TR EVER! I can't wait to hear more!

High praise Rita! I'm sure I'll disappoint along the way. But here we go...

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DaveInTN

DaveInTN 3,247

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The Beginning

January 16, 2008.

The dead of winter in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The sun rises around 10:00am and sets by 3:00pm. It is a cold and dark day. (How do I know this? They’re ALL cold and dark in Russia! But I digress.) A woman pregnant with her 9th child heads to the hospital to deliver. This in itself is remarkable, as she has aborted the previous 7 pregnancies. But despite prenatal testing indicating this child has Down Syndrome, she carries to term and delivers a baby girl. And, as occurs in 95% of Down Syndrome births in Russia, she abandons the baby to state custody. Another orphan among 700,000 in Russia.

The fact that she was born at all, after her birth mother’s history, is a miracle. Absent logical conclusions, we can only assume that God intended for that child to be ours from the very beginning. He only took a different path for her, maybe to illuminate the situation these children face over there. But regardless, on January 16, 2008, our daughter entered this world.

At two weeks of age, the little girl, named Anastasia Orlova, was sent to live at Baby Home #1on the outskirts of St Petersburg. She lived among several dozen orphans, many of them typically developing kids.

Anna%252520Baby.JPG

But little Anastasia, or Anna as we named her, wasn’t typical. She has Down Syndrome. And unfortunately, in her society, that makes her worthless. She has no chance of being adopted domestically. No Russian family ever visits or inquires about her. Even her birth mother, who lives in the neighborhood, never once calls to check on her. So she spends her first few years in the only home, and the only neighborhood, she would know up to that point, never venturing beyond the courtyard.

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By the time she is 2, she has been identified by Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry as an “at risk” child.

Anna%252520Toddler.JPG

In the Russian orphanage system, children with DS that have not been adopted by age 4 are transferred to mental institutions. They are considered “unadoptable” at that point, and do not do well. Many don’t survive a year in that environment.

And so, it was through Reece’s Rainbow that we learned of Anna. Our future daughter…and future Fiend.

Prior to starting down the path to adoption, we had been visiting the Fort twice a year in our motorhome. And for the last couple trips, we had annual passes. We had a blast! But around the time of what would be our last trip in the MH, in March 2010, God presented a bit of a detour to us. He put the idea of special needs adoption in our hearts. And that process took most of our time (not to mention our money!) for the next 18 months. We sold our motorhome. I honestly wasn’t sure whether there would be any trips to the Fort in the future. But once we made our first trip to Russia and met Anna, I knew that kid was a future Fiend. We are blessed that she is a healthy and happy little girl. And so this past winter we bought a TT and I began planning this trip.

My little girl is a miracle! She is full of life! And throughout our long and difficult process of adopting her, you Fiends were there with us every step of the way. You provided moral support. You showered our older girls with love, cards and gifts when Christy and I had to travel for an extended period to Russia without them. And you have been family to us, sharing in our excitement. That is why, just 10 days after we returned home to the States with Anna, we traveled to Stone Mountain for the Fiend Grand Gathering over Memorial Day weekend. Some people thought we were nuts for traveling so soon. But we wanted to share our joy with our Fiend Family.

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We had a great weekend at Stone Mountain! But despite all the fun we had, a true Fort Fiend like Anna needs to make the ultimate pilgrimage. A trip to the Fort itself. And so the planning continued, the final details were hammered out, and on the afternoon of November 15th, we pulled out of our driveway to complete the journey of our littlest Fiend.

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stacktester

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OK, now I'm bawlin!!!! I'm lovin this!!!!!

Nice job Dave. Count me in with Carol. Pass the tissues. I was lucky enough to see Anna at SM and this week at the fort. There's no describing seeing how she has grown and the difference she has since the Russia pics were taken.

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TnBob

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Ok, keep going before you have me bawling too.

Its been a while since I last saw her but I do have the advantage of seeing her more than most of the fiends.

It is remarkable how much she has changed since the first time I saw her.

now do we get fishing pictures? did Anna fish?

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DaveInTN

DaveInTN 3,247

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I'm totally in! So jealous of 10 days at the Fort, but I can't wait to hear all about it! :clint:

Yay! Thanks for joining in Leslie. More coming up.

Dave, my heart is melting again! There is much ahead for Anna and I'm so glad that she found her way to the family she was meant to be with from the beginning!

Thanks Rita!

OK, now I'm bawlin!!!! I'm lovin this!!!!!

Sorry Carol...didn't mean to start out by making y'all cry! The report will veer back to the trip asap!

:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: that pretty much sums up my response to "The Beginning"

Thank you Yvonne!

Nice job Dave. Count me in with Carol. Pass the tissues. I was lucky enough to see Anna at SM and this week at the fort. There's no describing seeing how she has grown and the difference she has since the Russia pics were taken.

Yeah Donnie...and the biggest difference between then and now is that now she has an attitude!! :nyd:

I look forward to reading more. What a beautiful baby girl and what a blessing that you will have each other. That smile on her face is absolutely wonderful.

Thanks for reading along! I'm enjoying your TR as well!

Ok, keep going before you have me bawling too.

Its been a while since I last saw her but I do have the advantage of seeing her more than most of the fiends.

It is remarkable how much she has changed since the first time I saw her.

now do we get fishing pictures? did Anna fish?

Don't you love how I included a pic of you seranading her to sleep at Stone Mountain? I figured that would push you over the edge. :raspberry:

I am having a hard time reading this, my eyes keep filling up for some unknown reason.

It's a reaction to Bob's cigarette smoke. Stop outside for a few minutes. You'll be fine.

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