Staff member Marc Dewberry

Marc Dewberry

Regional President - Smoky Mountains of Tennessee

When I think of my favorite Aah-Inspiring moments, there is one that comes to mind that is forever etched in my memory... the vacation we became the “Dewberry 5.”

Disney was on the docket this year. The kids were excited. My wife and I were tired. This was the first big vacay with an extra kid. The basics of arrival and check-in were as expected; stressful with three kids after an 8 hour car ride... but we made it. Check-in was easy, the room was nice and clean. It was fine.

It was time for eat, so we headed to dining area of the resort. Thankfully, the golf cart service saved us from a long walk, 1.5 miles round trip. When we finished dinner, the same trusty golf cart drove us back to our room, finalizing what was a long day. Upon swiping our keycard, the dreaded red light flashed. My wife and I frantically tried each keycard multiple times, though to no avail.

“Well, call the golf cart to come take you to front office…,” stated my wife. It was a great plan; besides the fact it wasn’t available until the morning. Time to walk... but little Esther (our daughter) wanted to tag along (I think, she he was still speaking Luganda at the time).

Disney was not very “Disney” at this moment. I was, conservatively, not happy. The individual at the concierge desk, though very pleasant and well spoken, stated the only solution was to accompany us to our room, reconfigure the door and give us new keycards. “We’re riding the golf cart, right,” even though I knew the answer already.

On the walk back, I could tell the staff member wanted to stay something about my daughter, though finding the words to initiate a discussion wasn’t happening. I broke the silence stating, “she looks just like me, doesn’t she?!” (I handle tense moments with comedy. No one laughed).

Without missing a beat, the staff member immediately plunged the three of us into their own heart-warming story of being adopted. We spoke of the difficulties, the “first times,” all the excitements, the failures, the successes and deep conviction of gratitude to their adoptive parents. It was exactly the conversation I needed.

Abruptly, my daughter—pointing at my wife in her Minnie ears—joyfully yelled her first “Disney” words: MICKEY HOUSE. We laughed.

I almost missed a moment, I thought to myself.

Thank goodness I was paired with this staff member who took the initiative to engage with a dad who had a sour attitude. More than that, with my consent, the staff member shared our story with several of the resort staff and my daughter had became a mini celebrity by the time we departed.

While Staylah strives to provide excellent accommodations—and we do—it reminded me that not all Aah-Inspiring vacations start with people. That conversation gave perspective and helped begin the binding and bonding process of a newly formed family, The Dewberry 5!