It was the year 2006 and it was a normal day in my life and I was looking forward to a quiet weekend. Joe and  Chantel, my daughter and son-in-law,  were there and we were just enjoying family. It was not uncommon for us to pull a board game out to play and just have fun. I can't remember all the details of the day but for some reason, Kristina wanted to play a game with me. I let her choose and she decided to play the game of Yatzee. This is the game where there are five dice and you have three rolls to make different combinations such as three or four of a kind, a full house which is 3 of one number and 2 of another,  a sequential run of 1,2,3 etc, and the highest pointer is when all five dice come up with the same number which is called a YATZEE. When a combination is successfully played,  points are earned and the person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Kristina was four years old at the time and I was having just a light hearted conversation with her while playing the game. I thought I would add some excitement in the game for her so I said that if she rolled a YATZEE, I would take her to Disneyland. On her next turn, as luck would have it, she rolled a YATZEE!! She lit up like a light bulb because she knew she was going to Disneyland. Chantel said that it was not necessary to take her because it was just a game and she would understand, but I knew how much it meant to her. Every year she would save her pennies, planning on going to Disneyland.

 In 2010, Golden and I decided that we would take each family and help pay for a vacation to go with them. The first trip we took was with our son Aaron and his wife Lori and their boys Cameron and Zach. It was February, 2010 and they wanted to go to Disneyland. Although Disneyland is fun and exciting, it is not my favorite vacation. It is a lot of work, walking, expense, and fatique. Since we were going, I asked Aaron and Lori if I could bring Kristaina to make good on my bet. I wanted their trip to be just their family, so we booked the flights and we were on our way. It was fun watching the excitement of the boys and we did enjoy ourselves.

When we got home, I looked at the expression on Kristina's face, and I knew that I could not put her off any longer, I had to take her to Disneyland. I told Golden that I knew it was crazy but I had to do it. It was eating me alive so he consented. I called Chantel and asked her if I could kidnap her daughter for the spring break and take her to Disneyland. Kristina was so excited, it was worth all the money in the world just to watch her. I booked the flights for April, two months after I had just been there with Aaron and Lori and we were on our way.

I then looked at the expressions of her two sisters, Suzie and Jenna, and I knew how badly they wanted to go but they never said anything. I felt bad so I asked Kristina if it would be alright if we had Suzie and Jenna come along. She was fine with it so I told Chantel if she would pay for the air fare for Suzie and Jenna, I would take all three of them to Disneyland. When my daughter Melanie found out, she asked if I wanted her to come along to help so I said, "Why not, all the better". We called and made more airline reservations and in April, 2010 we were on our way to Disneyland again.

When we got to California, we had a stretch limo pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. It was so much fun just watching them. The picture to the left is Kristina, Melanie, Jenna, and Suzie in front of the Limo. The picture to the right is Kristina in front and Melanie in back  inside the Limo. It had lights that changed colors, a juice bar, video and anything else we wanted.

Had I lost the bet? I don't think so. This trip to Disneyland would have far more lasting memories and lessons to learn than any other trip I will probably ever take. I kept my promise with interest, my conscience was free, and I had a wonderful time. I told Kristina to always keep your word, be a person of high integrity, and never bet. Here is the memory shared by Kristina. (Click on the green arrow below.)