We Still Mourn, But It's Different

It never really ends.  We think about our beautiful baby girl every day; several times a day.  Sometimes it's pretty much constant.

Our adorable little ladybug

Take Wednesday, October 31 for example.  Throughout the day, as many of our friends and family were posting photos of their kids' costumes and discussing preparations for the evening's festivities, we were constantly reminded of the four Halloweens we were fortunate enough to spend with Charlotte.  One of our strongest memories is of Charlotte's second Halloween when she dressed as a ladybug and was quite possibly the cutest thing that EVER walked this Earth!  We took her to Randolph-Macon College to trick or treat in the dorms and it was so amazing to watch her figure out that when she knocked on doors and babbled something, the smitten students would give her stuff.  It was the first time I felt that parental melancholy that comes with knowing she'll never be this small again.

This year, we set up our traditional table out by the street and had a great time handing out goodies and seeing all the kids and great costumes; all the while thinking of our little peanut.

CJ on Election Day 2008

Or take Tuesday, November 6.  Election Day.  This was always a BIG day for us.  Both of Rachel and I were determined to teach Charlotte about the democratic process and to encourage her to develop her own voice on whatever issues she would face as she grew into an adult.  We always brought her with us when we voted, even in the local elections.  I would schedule my day around when I would be able to take Charlotte to the polling place and often she would "vote" twice in a day.

She filled our thoughts as we participated in the 2012 election.

And now we head into the Holiday Season and a new round of memories are poised to take over, keeping the mourning front and center.

It never really ends.

And yet, it's a little different now.  There are more of those good moments.  Like last Thursday at the Lunch Bunch which CJSTUF  facilitates at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU in conjunction with Connor's Heroes Foundation.  The food was catered by Christopher's Runaway Gormay (SO yummy!) and we served 71 people a good, moderately healthy meal when they might have had to visit the vending machines or resort to paying for fast food downstairs.  We know from experience that is something families should NOT have to deal with while facing a child's health crisis.

We also meet new friends every time we serve meals which lets them know about resources and provides us more reason to continue to expand the program.


Then there was November 10.  I ran the American Family Fitness Half-Marathon (part of the Richmond Marathon) and Rachel did a book signing at an arts and craft show where she sold some books and connected with several supporters.

Saturday morning, I almost decided not to do the half-marathon at all since I had popped something in my knee last Monday and it had been hurting all week.  I wasn't sure if I could even finish the race.  Then, of course, when I thought of Charlotte and what all the other families have endured, I put my whining away and suited up.

Good thing I did because it was probably the most fulfilling race I've ever run!  I got a lot of extra motivation right at the start line when I saw a man wearing a t-shirt that read, "13.1 Is Still Easier Than Chemo." Amen, dude.

Throughout the event, my mind was full of thoughts of Charlotte and so many others whose paths we've crossed.  I thought of Abbie Waters as I passed her old school, I thought of CJ's Godparents as I passed their house, I thought of the Klauers, the Goodmans, the Hubbels...lots of others.  I met a woman within the the first two miles from Newport News who was running her first half and only the third time, "in front of people."  I fell in with a small group of people at around the halfway point, many of whom just happened to have leg and knee issues.  There was a lot of self deprecating humor being passed around but we all finished!  And all along the way, were the occasional shout-outs to CJ's Daddy (on my bib) or Team CJ (on the shirt) or people who recognized me and shouted encouragement. I can't tell you how much that helps!

Kristin Mudd's Funky Shoes

Kristin's Funky Shoes Flipside

I finished (the main goal!) in about 2 hours and 40 minutes, the knee held out, and crossing the finish line, I let out a "WHOOP" like I never have before.  It was a great moment.  Then I caught up to Kristin Mudd and her funky shoes!  It was her first half EVER!  Kudos to her.





And CJSTUF continues to grow.  Thanks very much to Rachel's very capable Executive Directorship, our wonderful board, and support from the Network, we are having a tremendous year of fundraising and providing resources to our families.  We just had a very productive Strategic Planning Session and we have homework to do, after which, we will be ready to take a step up to the next level of operation for 2013 and beyond.

At Positive Vibe Cafe

So the therapy continues and, quite possibly, it's working.  Maybe.  Just a little.

Amazing Stories

Our Chick-fil-A Birthday Dinner

As you know, we marked Charlotte's 7th birthday on Monday.  The day included laughter, tears, hugs, an honorary mention on WCVE, dinner at Chick-Fil-A, a chocolate milk toast, and a showing of Finding Nemo. Roger and I were touched by the sweet messages we received as well as the generous donations made to the foundation in her honor that day. 


On Friday morning, I turned to Roger and said, "Wow! It sure has been a long week. Monday seems like a long time ago."  He agreed.  Between the emotional exhaustion at the beginning of the week, the Wine Down event on Wednesday in which we raised $1000 for CJSTUF (hurrah!), and the normal business of our jobs, it had proven to be a very long week, indeed.  


Then came Friday.  I ventured off to my job at the Dominion School and Roger had the opportunity to participate in the Moriah McNeil Celebrity Golf Classic to benefit ReeseStrong.  One of the generous patrons of the organization had bought an extra foursome and donated it for use by dads of pediatric cancer patients.  Roger joined Reese's dad and a few other guys for a beautiful day on the links.  

Roger, Walter Klauer, & Emanuel McNeil

Moriah's dad, Emanuel McNeil, is a former NFL football player. He lost his daughter Moriah to cancer in 2004 and organizes this charity golf tournament every year in her honor.  The proceeds benefit a different children's charity annually.  With these connections, it made sense that quite a few NFL players would be hitting the links.  It wasn't until Roger reached the tournament, however, that he realized some of these guys were the same football players who came and sang Frosty the Snowman to Charlotte on a hot summer day when we were holed up in the ASK clinic for a treatment in 2009.  The visit had been a huge hit with Charlotte and had even been featured on the CBS news (briefly).  As Roger talked about this with the football players, many of them mentioned remembering Charlotte.  Then one guy pulled out his phone and showed us this video.  

He has had this video on his phone since 2009.  Roger was floored! 

In the meantime, among my many meetings of the day, I was scheduled to interview a potential instructional assistant for the Dominion School.  The young lady arrived at the scheduled time and we began to talk about her work history and why she was seeking employment with us.  I asked her to say a little bit about why she liked her job and she told me this story. She works at Build-a-Bear. 


"I really love being able to see the happy faces on the children.  A few years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a family that came into our store.  The little girl was about 3 or 4 years old and she was sick.  She came into the store after hours with her best friend and together they made creations for her, her parents, and her best friend. We were so touched by this little girl and found out a few weeks later that she had passed away.  I still think about her a lot and how we were able to make her happy."

Our creations from Build-a-Bear,
including Frosty the Bad-Ass

As I sat there listening to her story, I realized where this was going.  I was near tears as I listened to her accounting of our very own Build-a-Bear visit.  I was thinking, "Should I say something? Is that appropriate?" Finally, I realized I needed to tell her.  I said, "I hope this doesn't upset you, but I need to let you know, that's my daughter you're talking about." I pointed towards the picture of Charlotte on my desk and the girl's jaw dropped to the floor.  She said, "Oh my goodness! That's her! We have her picture in our office at the store and I still think about her and talk about her all the time!"  We both started crying.  


Eventually, we composed ourselves and carried on with the rest of the interview.  On my way home from work, I got a message from Roger that he had something interesting to tell me.  I told him that I had a great story for him as well.  We met up and recounted these stories to each other in disbelief and amazement.  


I don't always believe in "signs" or messages, but perhaps these simple, touching stories delivered to both Roger and myself on the same day are a way of showing us that Charlotte continues to touch people's lives as much in death as she did in life. Of course, I think of our girl every single day. But it warms my heart in unimaginable ways to realize that she had such a profound impact on people who are virtual strangers.  


That, my friends, is the best birthday present anyone could ask for.  Don't you agree?

Summer Wrap Up...but wait...there's more!

As usual, there is so much to talk about you don't know where to start.

I will start with the most recent and pressing news and push forward.  Don't forget as August comes to a close that Nichole Frise is selling her Mary Kay wares for CJSTUF.  Any orders placed before Tuesday will benefit CJSTUF.  Treat yourself to a makeover or stock up on holiday gifts. 

Speaking of our Business of the Month I will take this time to let you know that we are BOOKED through February with local and home-based businesses who will be doing their part for CJSTUF.  Every little bit helps and we are excited and appreciative to partner with local entrepreneurs.  A sneak peek towards September and October:

September's Business of the Month will be local author and RichmondMom.com entrepreneur extraordinaire Kate Hall sharing her childrens book Richmond Rocks.  More info to come in a future post but we will be selling signed copies of her book and a portion of the sales will come back to CJSTUF in September.  Woo hoo!

October's Business of the Month will be M.Chase Photography.  Do you need beautiful family portraits for those ubiquitous holiday cards?  This is a great opportunity!  More details on Madison's beautiful website but mark your calendars for October 16th or give her a call today to set up your own photo session.  

In running news: 
Roger will be trekking it through Ashland this Saturday for the Patrick Henry Half Marathon.  I have duties at Romp n' Roll so if you're in the area, come out to cheer for the Mother Runner. No official word yet on whether the ladies raised that $1K and got him the pink running skirt BUT if they do, this is not an event to be missed.  I hope someone has a camera.

Roger's essay recalling his inspiration for running is featured in the August newsletter on the Chicago Marathon website.  Out of hundreds of entrants to the contest (and thousands of entrants in the marathon), Roger's essay was one of about a dozen chosen.   Hope it results in some good PR for CJSTUF too!

This fall weather reminds us that it's almost FOOTBALL SEASON!  In fact, College Game Day is coming soon.  The UM and VT camps are running neck and turkey-neck in the fundraising efforts so here is your challenge: take a pledge form to your next tailgate/gamewatch/football party.  You don't have to be a Hokie or a Hurricane.  We want Cavaliers and Spiders and Tribesmen (women) and even those Seminoles (I shudder as I write that) to do their part in Roger's Double Marathon effort.  Every little bit helps!  Our goal is $10K and we're already almost halfway there. 

We've got some 'Canes over here!
(Whoosh-whoosh)

Now for a few moments of advocacy for some of our friends... 

The folks at Miras Movement contacted us about spreading the word regarding brain tumor research funding that is currently making its way through Congress.  If you are willing and able, please visit the Advocacy section of our website (it's new!) with information about WHY this bill is important and HOW you can contact your DC representatives to advocate for this important bill.  

ALSO our good friends at ReeseStrong are registering for the 2nd annual ReeseStrong 5K .  We were so fortunate to benefit from the event last year.  Much of the money that was raised for our cause actually became seed money for CJSTUF when we found it would not be necessary for medical bills.  This year, the Kids Run is benefitting a 9 year old girl named Aileen with a brain tumor.  Please register today for the race on September 18th!  Maybe we can have a butterfly brigade?!? 

Ok, I think that does it for our major news.  On a personal note, I was able to get away to Boone, NC for a few days and it was a great time for rest, relaxation, and reflection.  This has been a week of vacation for The Faison School so I'm using it as an opportunity to catch up on projects big and small. 

The most stress-full-est week ever

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since our last blog post. At the same time, we've been a little busy. I will try to update everyone.

First of all, a big thanks to the Mechanicsville Moms for the Used Book Sale last week. We raised almost $300 for CJSTUF which is not bad for a bunch of books priced at $.50 and $1 apiece. The remaining books were donated to the Ashland Library for their annual book sale at the Hanover Arts and Activities Center (July 4th....mark your calendars!).

Secondly, the Cow Drop raised a little over $1000 for CJSTUF. That will help two families! How great! I didn't win the Disney vacation or the Romp n' Roll birthday party (oh, wait...) but Roger had a great time at the event. Huge kudos to Pam and Sharon, the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A marketing gurus who help to make this event a success year after year. Much thanks to them for including CJSTUF in their in-store sales.

In the middle of all these foundation events, we have been armpit deep in moving the business. Anyone who has ever built a house knows the stress that comes with construction. Take that and magnify it a few 1000 times when you move a business. Not only are you trying to get everything up and running in a timely manner, but you still have a business to run, vendors to pay, and a staff to manage. We're getting there but this is not my favorite thing in the world. I have HUGE thanks to offer to:

My parents: Not only did they help with painting and moving but they always had dinner (or lunch) ready for me and for Roger when we came home each night. Plus they're always good for a laugh or two!

Our Romp n' Roll staff: They roll with the punches and have displayed their many talents in this process including painting, shop-vacing, and packing.

Our many helpers and volunteers: Along with our paid staff, we have recruited a few volunteers to help with loaning us LARGE vehicles and painting and hauling and unbolting shelves and hanging bulletin boards and....

My husband: Roger is a pretty handy guy and he is doing a lot of the "grunt work" these days. I, in fact, have felt pretty useless lately and he is just a bundle of positive energy. I really appreciate all his hard work.

So, yes, this past weekend was Mother's Day. I pretty much tried to ignore it. At the same time, I felt extremely loved and supported by many friends and family. I think between keeping myself busy and the many positive notes, small gifts, and other gestures of kindness that were nudged my way, I made it through. The extra stress in my life certainly doesn't seem to help with my wanting to cry (or scream) at the drop of a hat. Today we had to take the cat to the vet (more on that in a moment) and as I was waiting to pick up Mr. Tigger, this other woman comes out to the lobby to pay her bill and makes an off-hand comment about "having to sacrifice her first born child" to pay the vet bills. I almost let loose with a snarky comment like, "You think vet bills are bad...try REALLY sacrificing your first born child to brain cancer." but I held my tongue. I know the woman meant nothing by the comment. In another age, I probably have made comments in the same vein and never thought about the actual words.

So why, you might ask, did I have to get Tigger from the vet? Well, Roger came home earlier today to get a needed tool and grab some lunch and found Tigger very injured. Apparently, he had tried to climb a fence (or something like that) and seriously hurt his foot. The tendon was actually exposed! Roger dropped everything and rushed him over to the vet (did I mention how wonderful he is?) and they took him in for surgery. Now he's wearing a funny cat collar and has to stay isolated in a room for 10-14 days. Oh, and we get to give him kitty meds. Goodie. The ladies at the vet's office said he was a really good boy and when I picked him up, he was meowing at about 100 decibels. He's resting in the spare bedroom right now, looking awfully pitiful.

In Foundation news, we have received our applications for Financial Assistance Grants. We do have at least 10. We will review them at the board meeting next week and we will be very excited to award the $500 grants to our recipients in early June. More on that to come. Roger is talking with a local business and we may have some great PR events lined up soon.

Also, we are slightly further along in the process of getting our nonprofit status. Still nothing official but we're one step closer. AND I think that within the next month (or two) we should have some SWEET CJSTUF t-shirts and other merchandise available for purchase. Stay tuned.

So, in closing, please keep the positive vibes flowing for our move. We are aiming to be open by Monday with a ribbon cutting at NOON on 5/17. Come on out if you're around. You can always become a fan of our new location on Facebook for the latest updates and moving pics. If you haven't heard, we are dedicating our moving week (this week) to ReeseStrong. 10% of any birthday bookings or summer class/camp bookings through Saturday will go back to this Mechanicsville based organization that is very dear to our hearts. SOOOO...if you live in Mechanicsville or know anyone that does, check out our Romp n' Roll website and call us to register today (shameless plug, I know, but it's for a good cause!).

May is right around the corner

It feels like a lifetime ago. On May 1, 2009, we were entering our third round of inpatient chemo. Life at that time revolved around the hospital. In fact, we felt like MCV had a literal revolving door between regular and unplanned admissions. This round started with an MRI...scheduled earlier than usual because Dr. Khan didn't really like what he had seen as a "shift" in the previous scan.

On May 1, we started to face the reality. That was when we realized that it might not work. The tumor was still growing. Despite the toxins pumping into her system. After that, everything snowballed and by the end of May, we were meeting a new team at MD Anderson.

Like I said...it feels like a lifetime ago.

Yesterday, my mom and I attended the annual memorial service for children who have passed away that were served by VCU Children's Medical Center. It was a very simple, lovely service of remembrance led by the team of Child Life specialists and chaplains at the hospital. The theme was kite flying and I was thrilled to learn that ASK chaplain Jim Bonomo's inspiration for the kite theme was Charlotte's memorial service. Another kudos to Mary Poppins! (Slight aside...I'm typing this at romp n' roll and Jolly Holiday is playing over the speakers during Open Gym.) Anyway, the event was another time to remember Charlotte. Some of the nurses and other specialists who had worked with us during our time at MCV were there and so was Miss Monica, the nutrition services staffer who frequently brought us meals on 7 East.

The memorial service aside, it's been another one of those emotionally charged weeks. There's all kinds of reasons. My emotions seem to wax and wane as it is. Couple that with the timing of my parents visiting from Florida...they haven't been here since Charlotte passed

...the oncoming media glare of Mother's Day (Yes, it's coming. Please stop reminding me, members of the mass market media.)

....and then just the activities of everyday life. I think of her every day. And I miss her.

BUT there is much to do and much to report.

First, I want to direct you to the RichmondMom website. The Super Mom contest is running again. Our good friend Megan Blake won last year with the support of many in our network. Then Roger won the Richmond Dad contest. This year, we have several friends who are nominated. Some of our favorites:

Sherry Klauer: Mom to Reese (and Rhett and Wade) and founder of ReeseStrong
Lisa Goodwin: Mom to Connor and founder of Connor's Heroes
Jennifer Morris: Mom to Rosie and Kellan, a constant cheerleader for all her kids endeavors and constantly positive through many challenges.

Voting ends April 30th. You can only vote once but please visit the website and make your choice. There are many other great moms nominated as well.

Other events coming soon:
The Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop is on May 8th. I will be at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday evening, 4/27, selling Cow Drop tickets for CJSTUF. Come on out for Kids Night (Kids Eat FREE!) and a mini concert from Silly Bus! The concert will be from about 6-7 PM. You can also buy your Cow Drop tickets at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A anytime before the Cow Drop on May 8th. CJSTUF gets $6 for every ticket bought!!!

The Mechanicsville Moms will hold a Used Book Sale at Romp n' Roll on May 6th from 3-7 PM benefitting CJSTUF. This is during Open Gym time so come on out and find some great books and videos. There will be media for all ages!

Be sure to check the website regularly for other fundraising updates and events.

For anyone wondering, the romp n' roll move to Mechanicsville is moving along well. Everything seems to be going according to schedule. We just started painting this week. Summer registration starts on Monday (there's my plug) and we are looking forward to the new space!

Have a good weekend, everyone. Might be a wet one if you're in VA. Hopefully the ASK 5K won't get too rained out.

Many Upcoming Events: Please mark your calendars

A few updates are in order:

First of all, we have our "clerical" volunteers lined up so thanks to those of you who expressed interest in helping. Don't worry...there will be more to do as time goes on.

The website relaunch is taking a little longer than expected so I wanted to make sure some important events and announcements made it onto your calendars.

The Mu Phi Epsilon chapter (music fraternity) at Randolph-Macon is hosting a concert to benefit CJSTUF on Thursday, April 15th from 6-8:30 PM at the college in the Alumni Gym. Tickets are $5 each. There are five groups performing and they are featuring a wide variety of genres: jazz, rock, gospel, acoustic, and bluegrass. We have a few tickets available at Romp n' Roll and I think others will be available at the door.

Megan Blake and her friends are organizing a Kid Stuff Sale (gently used kid gear, kids clothes, maternity clothes, etc.) at St. Thomas' Church (3602 Hawthorne Ave in Richmond). Proceeds will be donated to a number of local organizations and CJSTUF is one of the benificiaries. There is a sip-n-shop on Friday 4/16 from 5-8 PM. For $10, you can get refreshments and first pick at the goodies. The regular sale is Saturday 4/17 from 8 am-1 pm.

Saturday 4/24 is the ASK Fun Run/5K at Short Pump Town Center. This is not a CSJTUF fundraiser or event but our good friends at ReeseStrong will have quite the team. Roger is running in this event. Come on out to support the crowd if you're available.

Have we talked about the Cow Drop yet? The 3rd Annual chick-fil-a Cow Drop is on Saturday May 8th. If you've never been before, the event is held at the Hanover Airport. There is a family fun day from 11 AM-3 PM with face painting, moonbounces, vendors, food, and kid's games. Around 1:30 PM, an airplane loaded with hundreds of little plush COWS will fly overhead and drop the animals from the sky. Those landing closest to a predetermined target will win FABULOUS prizes. Over 20 great prizes will be given including a Disney Family Vacation, a Romp n' Roll birthday party, a year of movie passes from Regal Cinemas, and MORE.

All Cow Drop tickets bought at the Virginia Center Chick-fil-A locations benefit CJSTUF. Tickets are just $10 each and include a coupon for a free milkshake. You don't have to be present on the day of the Cow Drop to win either.

On Tuesday 4/27...there will be a mini-concert and promotion for the Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A from 6-6:45 PM. Silly Bus will be playing a small concert as a preview of the Cow Drop event on May 8th and this will be a great opportunity to buy your Cow Drop tickets. This is also Kids Eat Free night at Chick-Fil-A so bring the kids for an evening of fun.

I think that takes you through the month of April (and even into a little bit of May). With Romp n' Roll moving to Mechanicsville, we won't have too much going on CJSTUF-wise during May.

If you haven't been on Facebook lately, Roger started a fan page JUST for the Butterfly Bush (CJ's butterfly bush). He is taking daily pictures and posting them. The page reached over 200 fans in about a day and many of them were not already fans of CJSTUF. Gotta love viral marketing.

I think I will close for now. Happy weekend, everyone.

There's No Such Thing As "Closure"

That word should be stricken from the Earth. I think people who throw around the term, "closure," should be forced to watch interpretive dance chronicling the Middle East peace process...in REAL TIME...while having to pee.

(Look at that, already digressing)

Warning, long rambling post ahead.

The Richmond Jazz Society answers the phone or greets audiences at official events buy saying, "Bright Moments" by request, and in memory of local jazz legend, Joe Kennedy, Jr. I've always liked that. It's a simple thing but it has helped center me every now and then.

I could certainly use some centering right now. The ups and downs and the swings from light to dark and back again are kind of getting old.

Rachel and I are still trying to juggle everything (CJSTUF, moving the business, wrestling with bills, the many other responsibilities and chores we have) while not killing each other, and the "CJ moments" keep happening. Pretty frequently these days. They aren't all bad, some are downright heartwarming. Like the child at Romp n' Roll yesterday who took a castanet, opened it up, and held it to her ear like a cell phone that flips out. Charlotte did that all the time very early on. It made me stop and do an inward, "Awwww." I even showed it to another child tonight.

But as I was driving home from a very long day of ups and downs, it really nailed me between the eyes that I will never hold her again. It was just a very sad thought as I headed north. It's nothing that debilitates me or makes me curl up into a fetal position (decidedly inconvenient when driving) but it still really, really sucks.

On top of that, we keep finding out about new members of "The MCV Vacation Club." They don't really have to be at MCV, just battling cancer.

Lots of musician friends are having biopsies or radiation or chemo or all of the above. One in particular is Judy Kushner, wife of Gantt Kushner, music engineer of the two Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet CDs and Ginny's solo CD. A beautifully spiritual family. Judy just had surgery for brain cancer. From Gantt's reports, she's doing very well and has started PT and OT. Please feel free to contact them as they can use the support (moral and otherwise). He also has a FB site: http://www.facebook.com/gantt.kushner and his studio is called "Gizmo Studios"

There's also a little boy named Ricky who just moved onto the 7th floor and is now under the care of Dr. Tye. He's got TWO tumors working and they aren't the same kind (can't even fathom the odds of that happening). They came down from a homeless shelter up north and have very little. I haven't had the time to give them the attention they deserve but they at least are hooked up with the names of people and organizations that could help them. They all need your positive energy.

Thanks to ASK, Starlight, Reesestrong, Child Life, LINC and the other organizations helping them, and other children, out in one way or another.

Out of the blue today, a child at Romp n' Roll To Go said, "Mr. Roger, I'm sorry your son died." (a little confused, maybe, but very touching nonetheless). I think it kind of freaked out the staff person assisting me which I actually found slightly amusing.

There are some good things happening; part of the "swings to the light." The money keeps coming in for TEAM CJ. The Monument Ave. 10k has now brought in somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000 and still counting!

We didn't win the Spirit Group contest but we had a great time and those who won were very deserving:

This is froom an email from the Sportsbackers -

"According to the judges from Hirschler Fleicher:

First Place Winner - All Saints Catholic School

Second Place Winner - Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School

Third Place Winner - Dance Masters Diva Dance Team"

NEXT TIME!!! Sat, April 2, 2011. SAVE THE DATE NOW!

Free Babies and Toddlers week at RnR is going gangbusters! It's been great seeing all the new (literally) faces. (still waiting till someone comes in looking for their free baby)

Chick-fil-a is holding their 3rd annual Cow Drop on May 8 at the Hanover County Airport. Tickets bought at the VA Center Marketplace CFA will benefit CJSTUF!

Guess this isn't as long as it could be. It's still rambling, though.

Has it been a week almost?

Since our last post, yes, indeed.

We've been really busy lately and most of our free time has been primarily used for "We" time or "Wii" time! (Hula hoops...UGH!)

Some updates around the sucky cancer world...the Berrys have had to go back into the PICU. His Caringbridge site is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/wesleyberry1

The Waters had a G-tube placed (no fun) and at last word were waiting on surgery.

Think good thoughts about them and the many, many others out there.

We've been delivering weekday lunches to the Berrys and would like to do still more. Please contact us if you're willing to do something. Tomorrow, Thurs, and Fri. They're good during the weekend. Next week is "wait and see." Healthy if possible and no coffee or soda, please. Thanks.

TEAM CJ and the Monument Ave. 10K is rolling along. We've passed the $1000 mark for pledges and I've only heard from a tiny percentage of folks! YAY!!! If you're FUN-raising and have a moment, please send me a rough estimate of your pledges. If you have money in hand that you want out of your sphere of responsibility, please either bring it to us at Romp n' Roll at VA Center, send to PO Box 854 , Ashland, VA 23005, or deposit it into your own account and have fun in Cancun. (OK, I'm kidding about that last one) Please have checks made out to "CJSTUF."

If you have received a registration code and haven't registered yet, please do so ASAP. I'll start reassigning codes next Tuesday. If you try to register and have trouble, I might have to get you a new code anyway or you might just want to register on your own. There has been a small amount of confusion about codes.

Also, if you haven't done so and want to FUN-raise for CJSTUF, please print out a pledge from here and go harass your friends and family.

Just a reminder, the registration codes were given out as part of bulk registrations under the CJSTUF umbrella with the idea that participants would gather pledges and in return, CJSTUF would pay the registration fee and give everyone a cool t-shirt. (They're in, by the way). The codes have already been paid for. The absolute least I want is to cover the expense of the codes, t-shirts, and anything relating to the pasta consuming party but if the early reports are a sign of what's to come, it should be a great event for CJSTUF!

If you don't want to run/walk/mosey, the TEAM CJ Spirit Group is always looking for more people the cheer on the runners/walkers/mosey-ers. Meredith Hayes is the "chair" of the Spirit Group effort so please contact her.

There will be a joint pasta party hosted by CJSTUF and Reesestrong.org on Friday, March 26th at Shady Grove Methodist church in Mechanicsville. It's free for TEAM CJ and Team Reese partcipants and the more supplies get donated (spaghetti, sauce, garlic bread, etc...) the less we'll have to charge "civilians." It's not a FUN-raiser in the fund-sense but more of a community event. Donations will always be taken and split evenly between CJSTUF and Reestrong.org but that's not the purpose of the evening.

I think that's all for now. I still want to have one group run/walk before the actual event but haven't gotten around to organizing that. (Anyone???)

I hesitate to write this next part. As some of you have known, I had been having more trouble dealing with, first, anger issues and then some very deep sadness. I even scheduled a one-on-one with Dr. Matt and I've NEVER done that before. I felt the need to try to get things straight in my head or at least out in the open so I could deal with it all. Funny thing is, by the time I sat down with Matt, I seemed to be over the worst of the anger.

As far as the sadness, I have never stopped being very sad and Allie dying didn't help things but I've been missing Charlotte much more than usual lately. I've found myself almost losing it on multiple occasions threatening to affect work. This is all relatively normal under the circumstances and not unexpected.

The part I hesitate to write is that last night I had a dream that Charlotte gave me a piece of pre-school type art that she had made (still not too weird, I dream about her all the time). It was a small piece of paper torn from a brown shopping bag with a smaller rubber ring glued to it. Inside the ring was a light blue flower shaped plastic "jewel" like the kind we use for craft projects at Romp n' Roll. It looked like any number of things she made at Tuckaway or "Montessori House." I remember it pretty vividly.

Here's the thing for all you PSY101 students: On the back was written in very legible handwriting, "Take care of the living." I kid you not. In my dream, I assumed she had written it. When I woke up, I felt refreshed and a little less sad. So here's the challenge for all you armchair analysts: Was that me wishful thinking that Charlotte was sending me a message or was that my rational brain telling me to buck up and deal? Or was Charlotte actually sending me a message? Whatever the real answer, I feel a little better. I'm going for a mix.

Lots of goings-on

So, where to start? A lot of announcements, it seems.

First of all, if you're not busy this afternoon/evening (Wednesday, 3/24), head on over to Chilis at Virginia Center and eat (or drink) for ReeseStrong. 20% of your meal cost will go to ReeseStrong when you present a flyer. Flyers will be available at the restaurant and are also available at Romp n' Roll. Roger and I had a lovely lunch over there and got to see some of our favorite families as well!

ASK has some events coming up soon too, including the ASK walk on April 24th. If you're not busy racing in other events, this is a fun thing to do. They featured Charlotte on their posters and flyers this year. We are honored.

Things are rolling along on the CJSTUF front as well. We are getting ready to redo our website so watch for changes (coming soon!!!). We have had many requests from home-based businesses that want to raise money for CJSTUF so we have decided to select one to two home-based businesses per month that will raise funds for CJSTUF. Hopefully that will help spread the wealth a little.

Our first featured business is Pampered Chef. Jessica Cole is the sales representative in charge of the party and it will be hosted by Sue Ferguson. The actual party will be on 3/16 at about 7 PM. I will post more information soon if you would like to RSVP; however, you do not need to be present to help. 15% of all sales from this party will go to CJSTUF. You can go online to www.pamperedchef.biz/jessicasapron and type in CJSTUF. I will have some mini catalogs and order forms at Romp n' Roll soon (probably by next week) in case anyone wants to place an order directly from me. I'm hoping to attend the party itself. If you've never attended a Pampered Chef party, you would be in for a treat. The food is usually FABULOUS and I always come away with a great new cooking tip (or two!).

Finally, tomorrow is the big (drum roll) reveal from the Thumbs Up Ball. The MOMS Club of Mechanicsville (Cool Spring Chapter) will be coming by Romp n' Roll at about 3 PM to present the proceeds from the Valentine's Weekend Fundraiser. If you're in the area, stop on by to check the results. I promise we will post news on the blog and Facebook soon after.

I think that's it for now. Yucky weather seems to be moving in to Richmond so Open Gym is hoppin' today; however, I don't think we'll get tons of snow. Just wet goop!

Stay warm and dry...Rachel

Diggity Good Fun!

Scott Milstead (formerly of Carbon Leaf and majorly good drummer) has a new project playing family friendly music. Here's a letter he sent out about an upcoming benefit for Connor's Heroes and since we love Connor's Heroes, we encourage everyone to participate!

Well, it's happened...

... I'm in a kids band.

I tried to resist it but the temptation was just too strong. And besides, regression is a strong suit of mine, so why not?

Please read on!


We hope everyone is thawing out from the recent snow and wanted to let you know about some very exciting stuff happening in Diggity World.

Many of you may not know us, but we are The Diggity Dudes, playing Hip Music for Hip kids (www.thediggitydudes.com). While most of you have been huddling around the fireplace and watching the snow melt, we've been hard at work rehearsing new songs as we get ready to record our debut CD in just over a week. Diggity Mike & Diggity Donny have recruited Diggity Scott to join the band on drums & percussion as the third fulltime Dude, while a host of other musicians are lined up to round out the music in the studio (Scott Duncan formerly of The Venture Rays on bass, Houston Scott of the Houston Scott Band on Harmonica, Sara Gleason of the Velvet Marias & Karen Lynn on back up vocals just to mention a few). The CD should be available in late spring and is going to be a Diggity Biggity Deal.

Of course we can't sit idly by and let our music go unheard, so on March 6th you're going to have 3 (YES THREE) chances to see us. First, we'll be playing in the Northside, at the 10th Annual Linwood Holton 5K, followed by a noon performance at The Diamond for the Flying Squirrels First Annual Family Festival. Then we wrap up the night with a huge full band benefit show at The National to support Connor's Heroes. Over the next few weeks, look for The Dudes in Style Magazine and appearing on Channel 6's Virginia This Morning promoting this epic day of events and great causes.

If you would like to support The Diggity Dudes, you can purchase tickets for The National from any "Dude" for only $10. This is an all ages show, and we take the stage at 7:00, so you can bring ALL YOUR LITTLE ONES and help us "Jump In The Air". The bill is headlined later by The Houston Scott Band, and all proceeds go to Connor's Heroes (www.connorsheroes.org) to benefit Childrens Cancer research.

Please pay our site a visit, or catch us on Facebook at The Diggity Dudes. Please, leave us a comment, and tell all your friends to support us on March 6th.

Thanks,
Diggity Mike, Diggity Donny & Diggity Scott

We're also in the early planning stages of a pasta dinner party the night before the Monument Ave 10K as a joint shindig for CJSTUF.org and Reesestrong.org. First thing we need is to get people to cook and/or provide the food. We'll have it in a location with a kitchen so noone has to risk losing any Pyrex or Pampered Chef. The more provisions we get donated, the cheaper it will be and I would love to provide it free to FUN-raising members of TEAM CJ and Reesestrong. The menu will probably be Spaghetti, garlic bread, good salad, tea, chocolate milk, and beermosas. We might add other things as time goes by. The purpose of the pasta party isn't to make/raise money but to celebrate community and carbo-load for the race.

After the Thumbs Up Ball on Saturday, we'll start taking reservations for the pasta party. (By the way, have you bought your tickets to the ball?)

Anyone want to chair the Pasta Party Planning Committee? I'll chair the Pasta EATING Committee! :-)

Romp n' Roll is open, the sun is actually peeking out, and I have new, free musical software toys with which to play.

Our friends from Colorado, the Goerolds, are in Bethesda and Allie started her experimental protocol a couple days ago. Very interesteing drug that seeks out a protein particular to her type of leukemia and then releases a toxin that attacks the cancer cells. Some serious smarts behind that one. Drug companies = 1

Now if they would spend as much time and money on that as they do on helping old men keep it up, cancer would be a footnote. (Woah, was that out loud? Guess so.)

Anyway, those of you in the MD/DC/NOVA area might want to look them up. They have family around but I'm sure a little extra help of any kind would be appreciated. Rachel and I might try to take a quick trip up.

We also have a newer member of the CANCER SUCKS! club. Her name is Kayla Webb and her family is from my dad's neck of the woods in Tennessee. They're now in Houston for proton beam therapy at MD Anderson. Please think good thoughts for them and if you're in the Houston network, please reach out to them.

That is all.

Rog

Want to talk about the weather?

It seems like that's ALL anyone is doing these days. And for good reason, I suppose. If you haven't turned on the TV or radio in about a week or two, you may want to know that the mid-Atlantic is getting the biggest snowstorm of the year...decade...century...millenium. Oh, you hadn't heard?

Fortunately, we just keep Rompin' and Rollin'. The work schedule has had everyone in a tizzy and we've had to cancel Saturday classes two weeks in a row. Friday's classes were cancelled this week as well and we will have to see about Sunday. Most of our birthday parties have simply been rescheduled (rather than cancelled outright) and we even had some brave souls who came out in the rain and sleet yesterday for Max's 2nd birthday party. It was a blast! Roger and I hadn't worked a party together in ages. Open Gym was hoppin' earlier that day too before the weather got too nasty.

Yes, work has been busy and it's been a very good distraction. I think I've said that before but I think it also bears repeating. We have also been rolling along with the Foundation stuff. Our bylaws were approved by our Advisory Council/Board this week which means we can now begin to officially work with the IRS on our non-profit status. The members of the Board have also been meeting in their subcommittees to get things rolling. We have heard the requests and I promise that CJSTUF t-shirts and other merchandise are all coming soon!

With all of this going on, it's a sharp reality check to realize that today is February 6th and tomorrow will mark one month since her death. It really blows my mind. This month has been so busy that I honestly feel like it's been a lifetime since her death. I miss her every day. I see her in everything I do. I am sad but not distraught. I am so glad that Roger and I have something like CJSTUF in which to sink our energy. It definitely keeps the misery at bay. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts yesterday: This American Life. If you've never heard it, it's a fascinating and fabulous public radio magazine with stories wrapped around a theme each week. Their show from the first week of the year was called 2010 and it contained stories surrounding "predictions" for the coming year. The first story is by Shalom Auslander about his neighbor and friend who was dying of cancer. The story really touched a nerve for me (in a good way) and I encourage you to take a listen (you can click on the link to get to their website and archive).

So now that I have your attention with our latest blog post, I will make sure you know about a few important announcements:

1. The THUMBS UP BALL is Saturday February 13th from 4:30-7 PM at Shady Grove Methodist in Mechanicsville. You can't get in without a ticket but you can get tickets at any Romp n' Roll location for just $10 each. This is a family event with food, live music, a visit from the Dance Fairy, a silent auction with lots of great sponsors (bring your checkbook!) . I am sure it will be a blast! Huge thanks to the MOMS Club of Mechanicsville for putting this together. I am hoping that it will be successful enough to turn it into an annual event!

2. If you are running for TEAM CJ in the Monument Ave 10K, don't forget to download your pledge forms. We have over 57 runners taking part in this event, not to mention the cheering squad that is forming as well.

3. Good news on the ReeseStrong front: she had her latest MRI on Friday (2/5) and continues to be cancer free. She got a very clean bill of health from the docs and we are so happy for them!

I think that's it for now. Roger is upstairs working on some music stuff and I'm sifting through emails, paperwork, and correspondence while I laze by the warm fire. If you're somewhere surrounded by snow and ice, stay warm. If you are somewhere warm, count your blessings!

FAQ about donations:

Thank you to everyone who has inquired about donations to CJSTUF and other donations in Charlotte's honor. There have been a number of questions so I am going to address them here:

1. To Whom Should I make a donation in Charlotte's honor?

There are a number of worthy causes that have benefitted us this year. Besides CJSTUF, donations can be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, ASK Clinic at MCV, or Noah's Children. Other worthy causes not mentioned in the obituary include ReeseStrong, Connor's Heroes, Ronald McDonald House, and Caring Bridge.

2. How can I make a donation to CJSTUF (or any of these other organizations)?

You can bring your donation to the memorial service on Saturday. There will be a lockbox at the service and reception with the logos of all the organizations that have benefitted us (as well as CJSTUF). Donations can be accepted there. All cash donations will go to CJSTUF unless otherwise specified.

A donation link will be set up on the website soon (we are working on this). This will allow for online donations via PayPal. Other donations to CJSTUF can be sent to our home address: 9 Slash Ct, Ashland, VA 23005. Checks should be made out to Charlotte or to CJSTUF.

3. Are donations to CJSTUF tax-deductible?

While we are an officially incorporated organization, we do not yet have 501(c)3 status. Donations are NOT currently tax deductible; however, our board is pursuing tax-exempt status and we expect to have this before the end of 2010. We will definitely make sure everyone knows when we have tax-exempt status.

4. I work for a company or volunteer for an organization that raises money and/or matches funds for other organizations. We would like to help CJSTUF. How do we go about this?

We would love to work with you and your company/organziation. Most companies or other organizations require that a benefitting organization be tax-exempt or have tax-exempt status in order to qualify. CJSTUF is not going anywhere and we would be happy to work with you once we reach tax-exempt status! Just keep your eyes and ears open.

Thank you, again, for the momentum and energy and giving spirit that has been put forth in Charlotte's name. We are humbled and appreciative!

Rachel and Roger

We are never allowed to live in a vacuum

Day 7. It's been a week. Feels like a lifetime. The folks in Haiti don't care at the moment. Let's help them out a bit.

I gave blood yesterday simply because it was time and I promised the bloodmobile coordinator I would since I couldn't be there for the Give Back event at Romp n' Roll. Talk about clueless. I knew about the devastation in Haiti but didn't connect it to my blood donation. Now, I'm going to guess that VA Blood Services keeps its blood units in the state but the American Red Cross is a different matter and all the blood donation services are in serious need. I don't know how all that works but it can't hurt to roll up your sleeves and donate blood to whoever will take it. Do it in Charlotte's name if you like. If you go to the VA blood Services office at Insbrook, ask for the lady with the many names (Renee, Erica, a couple others). She got me in and out in 25 minutes!

OR! If a monetary donation is more up your alley, we are more than happy for you to temporarily divert you resources away from CJSTUF and direct them toward Haitian relief.

But be careful! Unfortunately, there are many scammers out there just dying to get their hands on your money.

I'm including links to the donations pages of the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

It's a real mess down there and they could use the help.

On another front, I've learned that there is a contest at the Ukrop's Monument Ave. 10K for best "Spirit Group." First place gets $300 and there are smaller prizes as well. If you are not planning to run/walk but wanted to come cheer on TEAM CJ, might as well be goofy and make a fool of yourself in an organized format, eh? :-) Reesestrong is doing it too so let's make sure one of us wins first place and the other takes second! Let's keep it all in the family!

The pledge form is in the special events section of the website and if anyone still wants to sign up to run/walk and haven't told me, please do. I'm going to have to get some more registration codes because we've sold out of the original 30!!! YAY!

All pledges can be sent to:

Charlotte Reynolds or CJSTUF
c/o The Reynolds
9 Slash Ct
Ashland, VA 23005

Here's the usual disclaimer: CJSTUF.org is still waiting on non-profit status (Soon...very soon) so as of this posting, donations are not yet tax deductible.

Aunt Phyllis is here and the New Mexico Contingent comes in today along with Dad and Juanita Bonita. Gonna be a monstrous weekend. Aunt Phyllis tried the Wii last night...I think both she and Rachel came close to busting a gut laughing a time or two. It was very good to hear.

Jay got the live streaming worked out and those of you who can't be here can watch it live on the world wide web. There will be a link on the home page soon.

I can't believe what an event this is becoming and we had very little to do with it. It's the amazing network again combined with the faculty and staff of Randolph-Macon College, Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, the various mom's and dad's groups of Richmond, etc...mind blowing; simply mind blowing.

The good, healthy food is flowing (Wendy, you just HAD to bring those chocolate chip cookies, didn't you? YUMMY!) and we are feeling the love all over again.

Can't thank everyone enough.

Announcements

Some announcements for the week:
0. There was a green old navy jacket (adult size xs) left at the Head Shaving Party @ Romp n' Roll in April. If it belongs to you, please come by or call to claim it. It's really cute and I would take it but there's NO WAY I'm an XS :-)
1. Mini Golf/Batting Cages/Driving Range TONIGHT 7-10 PM at Glen Allen Golf on US1 to benefit Charlotte.
2. The Five Below event @ VCC seemed to be a success and Charlotte's story has really touched on the people there SO they are repeating the event for the next TWO weekends. Get your flyers at Romp n' Roll and take them in to buy all your summer tchotchkes (sp?).
3. Don't forget about the Brain Tumor Awareness Benefit Concert with Susan Greenbaum and Cheryl Fare at Ashland Coffee and Tea Saturday (5/23) from 3-6 PM. The event itself does not benefit Charlotte directly but it is a great cause with great music AND there will be a 50/50 raffle for Charlotte as well. Much thanks to Susan and Cheryl for letting us piggyback on this. We are sorry that we will miss it.
4. A shout-out to Christy, Wendy, and Torrie for helping Roger with the FACES event at Virginia Crossings tonight.
5. A HUGE shout-out to Jackie Plank for continuing the fundraising efforts.
6. On that note: another date change. The home based business bazaar will be June 27th at St. Ann's Catholic Church. More details to follow but there will be lots of vendors (Pampered Chef, Arbonne, Longaberger Baskets, etc.) selling their wares and donating a portion of the proceeds to Charlotte. Start your Christmas shopping early! Also, I think a Silent Auction is in the works.
With all of these fundraisers in the works, we are very grateful. We just found out that the insurance IS going to cover our visit to TX as a "second opinion" (they will cover the visit but not the tumor evaluation since that is considered experimental). We did receive a second denial of our appeal for considering the stem cell transplant services as "in-network" at MCV. The insurance ombudsman feels we made a great case and that the insurance did thoroughly review our cause but they continue to maintain that they are not denying us coverage and that we can go to an in-network hospital or pay the out-of-network rates. Given that we do not know right now how many stem cell transplants/rounds of high dose chemo she will need and/or whether this will go on past this calendar year (since our deductible is for the calendar year), this will probably increase our out-of-pocket medical costs to anywhere between $40-100K. We will definitely be talking with MCV about negotiating cost but there isn't much point until we know the direction where MD Anderson will point us...

That is all I have to report. I hope to see some of you tonight. Then I must pack and we leave for the airport about 5 AM tomorrow! Whew!

Rachel

First off and VERY IMPORTANT, the little thermometer to the right isn't our idea. It makes it look like Charlotte will somehow get donations if you click there. I've asked them to remove Charlotte's name from it. Seem a little sneaky to me. I've already sent them a donation when we first started the site and I know several of you have as well. Might be the last one I send if they keep that kind of crap up

Be that as it may, today was a HUGE day! First off, I woke up, completely alert, at 4AM this morning. No idea why.

Charlotte and I went down to Children's Hospital to get the fabled slides of the tumor which we will take with us to Houston ("Houston, Texas?!?")

This next event illustrated Cerisa's post brilliantly: While headed home, I asked Charlotte where she wanted to have lunch and she said the ever wonderful, "Chick-fil-a." When I said, OK, we're going to Chick-fil-a, she immediately said, "People eat there seven times a day!" If you don't know to what that refers, immediately open a new browser tab/window and go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo
No, really. Go do that now...

Hmmm dee dum dummm

Great, eh?

OK so we get to CFA and we meet Mommy there. We had a great lunch, CJ had ice cream with her lunch, and Mommy and I switched cars and Charlotte.

I then went to VA Crossings Resort to set up the Romp n' Roll stuff for the FACES of Virginia meeting. I was actually getting a little nervous because the final count was edging up into the low 40s which is a handful under primo conditions and I knew this wasn't going to have those conditions.

I got to the resort and realized they weren't going to have the two separate rooms for the kids or the other, OTHER separate room for the older kids to play board games. I figured that's OK since I'll have my star volunteers, Torrie (Too Tall Torrie) Heathcoat and Christy Yeadon MAN Am I glad they were there! Couldn't have done this without them. Thanks, ladies!

After teaching my classes at Romp n' Roll, I zoomed over and found the place in chaos already. We got the kids a little focused with a song or two and an idea of what an obsticle course should be and they took it from there. They really seemed to love the springboard! There were a few "breaks" and lots of redirection but a pretty fun time was had by all.

So we made a lot of FACES parents very happy to be able to have a nice, relatively quiet dinner. I also think it got us a bit of new business. If you've never plopped your head into the pensieve that is the world of foster parenting and adoption, it's had to imagine what a tough job it is. Foster and adoptive parents need and deserve access to every little bit of resources under the sun! That's why I dig this FACES of Virginia Families organization so much. That's what they do. If you don't get suckered in by the little thermometer over there and have given as much as you want to CJ's fund, I can think of few other places as deserving of your support. Heck! Boss woman, Cate Neubanks is even going to yoga with us on June 6th.

I had a ton of help tearing down and schlepping out to the car so it was next to no time before I was on to the Glen Allen Golf Fun-raiser! I sort of came in on the tail end of things but it seemed like it was a very successful evening there as well. We'll get final numbers out as soon as we can.

We still don't have final numbers from the burrito eating contest at Qdoba. Still working on it.

Now I'm home, trying to stay awake to finish this before I go pack for tomorrow. Rachel has most everything ready and lined up, I just need to make it all fit in the suitcase.

Thanks for all your well wishes for the safe trip. See you in Houston.
Rog

p.s. We got the ReeseStrong doll and will be taking it to Houston.

Andther Good (and Busy) Day

Another good (and busy) day. Daddy and Charlotte were off to the Doctor as I went to work. It took longer than expected (what a surprise) but:
0. Her levels are all great, some even at "normal" levels
1. They decided to give another dose of Vincristine so she got her "Day 15"/"Day 8" anyway (a week late).
2. They agreed to send a copy of her protocol to the 7th floor (peds unit) for her chart there to avoid any further confusion (don't ask me why this already had not been done).
3. She will be back again next Thursday for a catheter insertion (oh joy) for another 24 hour urine collection.
4. Next Friday we start all over again with an early morning MRI and then admission to the clinic/7th floor.
WHEW!
Her afternoon also included a trip to Chick-Fil-A and some playtime at Romp n' Roll. Now it's Yo Gabba Gabba time ("What's your Talent???") and mommy's gonna see what we can find for dinner.
Did I mention Granny and Gramps arrive tomorrow? Yay! Hoping for a safe and quick trip up the I-95 corridor tonight and tomorrow!
Many of you have mentioned to us that Miss Virginia is currently launching a campaign to raise $500K for children's cancer. If she raises that amount by April 11th, she will be shaving her head! We are doing some "scoping" to see if she could arrange an appearance at Charlotte's party.
Here's the Link if you want to read more about it.
Rachel


Update #2 for the day:
We have an important errand on the Care Calendar for strong backs and a truck. A dear friend and fellow music therapist has donated their old piano to us (long story) and we just need to get it to our house. They live in Powhatan. SOOO...we need someone with a pickup truck and strong back and another 3 someones with strong backs to meet at our house and then drive to Powhatan to get the piano and transport the piano back to our house. Our friend threw out April 4th as a possible date (a Saturday). Pickup just needs to be completed by 11 AM. If you can help, please sign up via the Care Calendar (see information for this on our LINKS page). Once we have everyone signed up to help, we will put everyone on the team in touch for coordination. THANKS.
Also, our good friend Reese had a wonderful article written about her and her family in the Mechanicsville Local newspaper. Here's a LINK to the article...
Roger and Charlotte saw Reese at the Clinic today and it sounds like she's doing well. You can keep up with her on her Caring Bridge site:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/reeseklauer
Rachel

Progress and Reese

A Good day so far! She is needing less medication than expected and they actually want to fade the morphine doses now and just get by with tylenol. So far so good. She was up and out of bed, sitting in daddy's lap and watching TV. Speech came by and gave the OK for food. She is starting slowly and the NG tube will stay in for now (just in case) but she ate some graham crackers and drank some water. Very happy!

Her color and demeanor just look so much better today. She is napping right now.
We actually should get news on the pathlogy report today (this afternoon) so we are waiting anxiously for that! Let's get this ball rolling!

On a related note, we just found out that one of our Romp n' Roll families is going through a similar experience right now here at MCV. Her older daughter (she's 6) is a few weeks post-op from tumor surgery and they are getting ready to go to Kluge for rehab treatment before radiation begins. We lift Reese up in prayer as well. It is so good to make contact with these families and share stories. It's crazy how the world works sometimes.

I'll sign off for now but hope to have an update by the end of the day!
Rachel