Disney Moms Panel Monday – Terry

Straight from my heart – A glimpse into what makes my fellow Panelists so very precious to me.

Six Dads joined the Moms Panel Family in 2010 and Terry was one of them. These awesome guys all hold a special place in my heart and I’m honored to call them my friends.

The six 2010 Dads (from left): Marc, Jonas, Bernie, Disney's Gary-Jerry, Chris, Terry and Joel.

I love this photo of the Joel, Jonas and Terry during our photo shoot in Epcot.

Joel, Jonas and Terry (with Marc in the background) - 12/09

Terry lives in South Carolina with his wife and their 2 beautiful children. He is a deeply caring person and he has a heart of gold. Terry and I share our Christian faith in common, and we discussed this several times. His relationship with the Lord is of utmost importance to him.

Upon returning from my Training Trip in December 2009, I wrote a Trip Report.  This is how I described him in it: “Terry is yet another amazing Disney Dad. I’ll cherish the memories of our trip to Downtown Disney, the way he got into playing the washboard at Hoop-Dee-Doo, and the many times his contagious smile lit up a room. Riding Big Thunder Mountain with him for his first time was awesome. He was always laughing and his ability to connect with people was wonderful. If I had to describe Terry in one word, it would be genuine.”

Terry, Chris and I the morning of our video shoot - 12/09

The first night of our Training Trip we ate dinner at the Prop Shop, and we stopped off for a quick ride on Toy Story Mania first. Here’s part of our group…

Back row: Bernie and Jonas. Middle: me, Portia, Amanda W, Suzannah, Maria, Kathie. Front row: Terry and Joel

After our video shoot, we were given a few hours to play in the parks. I had really wanted to pick up a special Christmas ornament to commemorate the Moms Panel Training experience, so I decided to head to Downtown Disney during that time. Kathie and Terry went with me to do some shopping of their own. We enjoyed lunch together at Wolfgang Puck Express and had such a wonderful time getting to know each other.

Kathie, Terry and I headed to Downtown Disney - 12/09

Terry is a big part of many of the highlights of my Training weekend experience. One evening, we all went to Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue…

From left: Chris, Suzannah, me, Amanda A, Andi, Amy, Terry & Bernie

During dinner, I sat with Terry, Jonas, Amanda A, Joel and others. We laughed so hard at the show…and at each other. When they handed out the washboard to our table, Terry got it.

Terry gets the washboard...

 He was quite the music maker…

Terry the music maker...

…and he really got into it…

LOL!

I had SO much fun with him at Hoop-Dee-Doo!

Terry jammin' on the washboard.

That night we went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and I learned that Terry and Maria had never ridden Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I knew right away that we had to change that! I’m honored to say that I got to sit with Terry on his first ever trip on the “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness”. I can still see his smile and hear him laughing…completely immersed in the magic. Afterwards, we snapped this photo to capture the moment…

Maria and Terry after riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - 12/09

After the Party, we walked back to the Contemporary Resort together. I recall our conversation like it was yesterday.

One of the things that I remember most about Terry is his ability to light up a room with his smile. I’ll never forget when Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen came to visit us during our computer training. Terry was so excited! He walked up and gave them both a big hug.

Terry, Tiana and Naveen - 12/09

Like most Panelists, he turned into a kid again when visiting with the characters…

"Hey girl, I love your dress!"

Princess Tiana, Terry and Prince Naveen…

12/09

After serving a full year on the Panel in 2010, Terry took a hiatus last year. Unfortunately, his schedule hasn’t allowed him to join us for any of our Reunions yet and I haven’t gotten to see his signature smile in over 2 years. 🙁

Here we are at our “Farewell Breakfast”…

Terry, Jonas, Marc and I - 12/09

Terry, Laura (and Chris, LOL)…

Terry, Laura and Chris - 12/09

Terry and Laura sharing a laugh together… 

Terry and Laura - 12/09

Terry and Laura…

Farewell breakfast - 12/09

Even though I haven’t seen Terry in person, we’ve kept in touch over the past 2 years. It’s not everyday that you meet someone as genuine as him, and I cherish our friendship. I’m truly looking forward to the day when our paths will cross again, and I have faith that it will be sometime this year.

Terry and I - 12/09

I’m so excited to share that Terry is back from hiatus and he’s thrilled to be helping guests plan their vacations again. Be sure to stop by and ask him a question, he has a lot of valuable knowledge to share.

Want to get to know some more Walt Disney World Moms Panel Moms & Dads? I share a different Panelist with you each Monday! Here’s the link to all of them so far:
http://www.memorymakermom.com/category/disney-moms-panel-monday/

Love ya, Terry!