I said I wouldn't do this, but I can't help but be really disappointed that we aren't leaving for Orlando tomorrow like I had imagined when I started saving for this trip three years ago.

Three years ago, I started putting aside $20 a week (it's harder than it sounds) so that we'd have about $3000 to plan a WDW vacation for our 10th Anniversary, which is next Friday. The idea was that we would be returning after 10 years to the magical place where we celebrated our honeymoon, as well as enjoy a wonderful family vacation. It would have been my little one's first visit, and my older daughter's second. While we would have loved to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, we were happy enough to try a resort that, while technically a downgrade, seemed to fit our needs for romance and family, Port Orleans Riverside.

Well, things sort of unravelled about a year ago. I stopped putting the $20 a week away after getting to about $2000 (which is still a pretty good start) but finances were't the central issue. It was an illness, a brave year long battle with two different cancers for my mother-in-law that held us back from making any sorts of plans. Unfortunately for all of us, she lost her battle recently, and is now at peace. While the illness curbed our plans, I don't want to appear to place blame on the situation. My MIL spent most of her last hours worrying about her children more than herself, and if she had known, would have probably insisted we go ahead with our plans.

Now I imagine there are people who would have gone ahead with their vacation plans amidst this tragedy, especially since we strive to try to keep things "normal" for the kids during the whole ordeal, but I can genuinely say that I am glad that we didn't try to force it. Though I feel like I need a vacation right about now, and I'm actually having that "Disney withdrawal" feeling pretty hard, I think it is too soon for me, and especially my wife, to pull this one off. I know we made the right decision.

The new plan, is to postpone the trip for exactly one year, during which we will hopefully be able to save some money, and do a little healing. The best part is that we'll probably start planning later this year, so I'll get to enjoy the whole planning thing for a lot longer, and it will keep me busy until the trip finally happens. Also, both of my kids will be great ages, 8 and 4 going on 5, and will likely be tall enough for any ride they wish to go on (the older one is already there) and maybe they will be able to retain more memories because they are older.

So all things Disney aren't so bad after all. We've also had two nice vacations to New Hampshire and Maine the past two summers to keep us occupied. We WILL take these two kids to WDW asap, and I know it will be here before we know it!

Still, I know that tomorrow I'll be thinking about how we'd probably be taking a horse and buggy ride down the Sassagoula river at Port Orleans, and I won't be able to help but sigh...