Three Years (Pt. 1)

On January 6, 2010, CJ's Thumbs Up Foundation was officially incorporated, the first step in our process towards 501(c)3 status.  In the three years of our existence, CJSTUF has provided assistance (financial, material, and emotional) to well over a thousand people (children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses, their caregivers, and families).

We couldn't have done it without the support of our fabulous and generous Network.  You have answered every call for votes, donations, and time and for that we are grateful beyond measure.  We blew away all of our budget/revenue projections for the year and are extremely stable heading into 2013.

More importantly, you have helped us ease the burden of many families facing the worst scenario anyone could imagine.

The future is looking extremely bright for the Foundation and our pipe dream goals are seeming a bit less like pipe dreams than they did before.  Please stay tuned for some great upcoming events including CJ's Thumbs Up Ball in February, TEAM CJ's participation in the Monument Ave. 10K on April 13, and CJ The DJ's Bluegrass (Mostly) Boogaloo on Sat, July 20.  There will be a few surprises as well so pay attention.

Thank you, also, for helping US deal with our own grief as well.  Doing what we do is as much therapy for us as it is beneficial for our families.

We wish you peace for the coming year but hope you will also help us partake in a little excitement for CJSTUF along the way.

Love,

Roger and Rachel

Charlotte Jennie's Grownups

Moving Forward

              

Our New Logo

Can’t do much else can we?  As Bruce Barton said, “When you are through changing, you are through.”  We’re hardwired to keep moving forward; to continually try to make our situation better even though sometimes all we do is repeat the mistakes of the past.  But move forward we must and that is what we’re doing here at CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation (hopefully not with the whole repeating-past-mistakes thing).

Thanks to our generous Network (that’s YOU, generous reader) we’ve had a very good first half of the year.  Revenue is exceeding expectations due to increased donations, more successful fundraising events, and the release of Rachel’s book, Four Seasons ForCharlotte: A Parent’s Year With Pediatric Cancer.  It seems that so far, we have been doing things the correct way and our mission is being well-supported.

The Cover of Rachel's Book

                With all that in mind, it’s time to take some more baby steps forward.  This year, we will award a total of at least 25 financial assistance grants.  This almost doubles our impact from 2011 (so maybe “baby steps” is too conservative a term).  We also have plans to expand our Board of Directors and have welcomed some extremely capable members to the current board.  Our fundraising initiatives like the Butterfly Socials, the Thumbs Up Ball, and the Fall Art Auction continue to evolve into our primary annual events and we continue to seek ways to improve upon the last event’s success.

We are also modifying our online presence a bit.  In the near future, you will see more regular (weekly) blog posts covering various aspects of CJSTUF.org.  We are currently gathering stories and profiles of our Board of Directors, staff, local medical professionals, events, partnering non-profits, and most importantly, the reason we exist - our families.  We will spotlight these courageous families in an attempt to inspire the reader to do more, to dig deeper, or simply to help the healing process by making the families aware that they are not alone in their struggle.

You will soon be seeing small updates (in both look and function) to the website and social media outlets to include software upgrades, calendars, new widgets, and more efficient ways to keep up, and become involved, with CJSTUF.org.

One thing we are NOT changing is the mission.  We will also never forget the curly-haired, sweet-voiced little girl whose strength and courage is the inspiration for what we do every day. (We still miss you, Charlotte!)

It’s an exciting and bittersweet time for us here at CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation as we continue to move forward, or as Jonathan Agin signs off of daughter Alexis’, Caringbridge posts, “…we are one day further, yet one day closer…”

We are so thankful to all who are helping us make unbearable situations a little more bearable.

FAQs about the Thumbs Up Ball

The Thumbs Up Ball is less than 2 weeks away! 
Do you have your tickets yet?


Over the last few weeks, we've received some questions about the event so I figured I would give some answers right here on the blog.  


What is the Thumbs Up Ball?

It's a family dance celebrating Valentine's Day! It's a great opportunity for the family to enjoy an evening out.  Plus, you will help your community. 100% of the proceeds from the event will benefit families in the Richmond area dealing with chronic and life threatening illness.  


When and where does the Thumbs Up Ball take place?
The event is on February 18th from 4:30-7 PM at Shady Grove UMC in Richmond's West End, 4825 Pouncey Tract Rd. 


What should I wear to the Thumbs Up Ball?
There is no official dress code. You can come in your fanciest party clothes or your most outlandish Hawaiian shirt.  If you have been looking for an opportunity to get dressed up for a night on the town, though, this is a great excuse.  Richmond Photographics will be on hand to take family photos for a nominal donation to CJSTUF. How often do you get the whole family looking spiffy in one place?


What will there be to eat?
Pepicelli's Pizza of Ashland has donated pizza and subs. Kelly's Cakes will be providing cupcakes and a cake as well.  We will also have coffee, tea, punch, and assorted snacks.  This is an alcohol free event.


What activities will be there for the kids?
We will have some simple craft activities for all ages.  Plus, musical entertainment from Offering will provide great opportunities to strut your stuff on the dance floor.  There will be something for everyone.


I've never been to a Silent Auction before. How does it work?
Local businesses have provided some great items for our Silent Auction. We have everything from homemade kid's clothes to yard tools to manicures, massages, and gift certificates from great local restaurants. Each item or package will have a starting bid (usually half the item's value). During the event, add your name and bid to the items you want.  At the close of the auction, the highest bidder wins! We have Silent Auction packages ranging in value from $35 for a ionic foot spa from Massage Within to $1500 for a corporate team-building training package from Comedy Sportz Richmond!


Do I have to bid on items in order to come to the event?
No. The Silent Auction and raffle are optional.  

Raffle? There's a raffle too?
Each ticket to the event will give you one entry into the raffle. You can buy additional raffle tickets for $1 each at the event.  We have a variety of raffle items including gift cards to local businesses and tickets to local events.


Should I bring money to the event?
If you wish to purchase family photos or bid on silent auction items, be sure to bring a little extra dough. We will be able to accept cash, checks, or credit/debit cards at the event.


Ok, you've convinced me. I'm in! How do I get tickets?
Go to the CJSTUF website and order tickets online. You can pay via credit card through our website or send a check within 3 business days.  


Will you have tickets available at the door?
Tickets are $10 in advance.  If we don't sell out, tickets will be $15 at the door.  


See you there!

The Thumbs Up Ball

Have you made your plans for Valentine's Day yet?

Bring the sweethearts in your life to the Thumbs Up Ball! 


This family dance will feature:
Live music by Offering, a diverse local band!


Family-friendly food provided by Pepicelli's Pizza and Kelly's Cakes. 


Craft activities for the kids


We will have a Silent Auction with items ranging from massages, restaurant gift certificates, tools from Ashland Ace Hardware, veterinary services from The Housecall Vet and Wellesley Animal Hospital, a pink mini-cooper kid's car, tickets to Goochland Drive-In, and MORE! For more items, check out a full list of our generous sponsors.  


There will be raffle items too! Each ticket to the event will give you a raffle ticket. Additional tickets will be available at the event for $1 each.  


PLUS...take advantage of the opportunity to have the family "all dressed up".  Richmond Photographics will be on hand to take family photos for a nominal donation to CJSTUF.


The best part? 100% of the proceeds will benefit CJ's Thumbs Up Foundation! 


The event will be Saturday, February 18th from 4:30-7:00 PM at the Shady Grove United Methodist Church in Short Pump.  Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door (if available).  

Get your tickets online at our website.  

PS Don't forget to bring some extra spending money for the Silent Auction and Raffle. We will be able to accept cash, check, or credit cards at the event.  

How Cool is That?

January is starting off with a BANG! 


First of all, a group of aspiring marketing students at King William High School are using our organization for their DECA project.  For one part of their project, they have created new CJSTUF plastic bracelets to sell at their school.  They have given us a limited quantity of the bracelets to distribute to anyone interested in the Richmond area. Suggested donation is $1 per bracelet and all proceeds will benefit CJSTUF.  

The bracelets are pink and purple and feature our name. 

We will have a bunch of the bracelets at the Remember CJ event this Saturday. Roger and I will also carry the bracelets around until we sell out. Contact Roger (or me) if you would like to get a few.  


Next on the agenda, there are only 2 more days until voting officially ends for the Eagle Rare Life Award. After all the votes are tallied, there will be an official selection process by the good folks at Eagle Rare to pick the top 20 and, eventually, the top 7 prize winners.  We are hopeful that Rachel's strong third place status in the popular vote will yield great results for the foundation.  There's still time to submit your vote. Thanks to all those who have been voting on our behalf.  We expect to hear news of final results sometime in February.  

Speaking of voting, Macaroni Kid of Richmond has generously offered to give $1 for every "Like" that their fan page gets on Facebook during the month of January (up to $200). If you live in the Richmond area and are looking for great family activities or deals, Macaroni Kid is a great resource. Please visit their Facebook page and thank them for supporting CJSTUF.




Finally, you may have heard through the grapevine that the Thumbs Up Ball is back! For those of you who remember the event from 2010, we are excited that this year's family dance and silent auction is going to be just as much fun! We will be in a new location this year (the Shady Grove Methodist Church in Short Pump) and the date is Saturday, February 18th, 4:30-7:00 PM.  Tickets are $10 per person and space is limited. We expect this event to sell out and registration is open now on our website.  


We are also currently seeking donations of items for our Silent Auction and raffle during the Thumbs Up Ball.  If you would like to be featured as an event sponsor, contact our event coordinator for details.  


That's all for now! Whew! What happened to that leisurely holiday vacation????

3 weeks till the Richmond Marathon!

Can we raise $3319 in three weeks?

The Double Marathon Challenge continues.  If our supporters can raise a total of $10,000 by November 13th, Roger will run the Richmond Marathon in his PINK running skirt.  (ooh la la!).  We know that our supportive network can help make this happen!

Two other major events are coming soon.  Get ready to start your holiday shopping because we have some beautiful, original pieces of jewelry inspired by CJSTUF and created by Sarah Blankenship of Crystal Paintbrush.  These pieces will be auctioned on eBay and 100% of the proceeds will go to CJSTUF.  The auction is scheduled to run from November 1-15th.  We will post more details on the website and the blog when the auction is LIVE.  If you missed the announcement in our last blog post, you can view some of the necklaces here.  Here's a preview of a few more pieces:

Finally, we are starting to plan for the 2nd annual Thumbs Up Ball!  Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 12th.  This event was our first official CJSTUF fundraiser and a  tremendous success this year thanks to the Mechanicsville Moms (Cool Spring Chapter).  This year, the baton has been passed to CJSTUF and Alyssa Johansen has stepped up as our Events Chair.  She is currently seeking volunteers who are willing to help with gathering sponsors and planning the event.  If you are interested in helping with this project, contact her directly at alyssajohansen@hotmail.com. 

That's all the major news to report.  Please continue to keep up with our Facebook and website updates. 

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

The Thumbs Up Ball!

The Thumbs Up Ball was today! I know we have been blogging about it for a few weeks now. What a wonderful event! The MOMS Club of Mechanicsville (Cool Spring Chapter) did all of the work for this party and it was WONDERFUL in so many ways. The church gymnasium was decorated in pink and purple with lots of handmade butterflies everywhere! It looked like a princessy prom. There was food, craft activities, music, dancing, formal pictures provided by Hayes and Fisk photography. I haven't heard anything about final numbers but I know that over 300 tickets were sold and there were many silent auction items bid on and won! I personally bid on (and won) 2 cooking classes from Mise En Place and a Whole Foods gift certificate! All of the money raised from tonight's event will go directly to CJSTUF! How cool is that?

I know I won't be able to thank everyone here but special notes of gratitude are due to:
Robin O' Sullivan, Darya Suleske, and Tracy Surratt for their leadership in the MOMS Club. I know the club has about 50 moms and all were involved in some way but these ladies were involved in a lot of the heavy planning and deserve a special thank-you.

Big thanks as well to Triad, a wonderful live band that provided the entertainment. As musicians, Roger and I certainly appreciate the work of a quality band. They were top notch and I understand they play a lot in the area so check them out. In fact, I think they will be at O'Banks next week. Speaking of O'Banks, they were one of the many sponsors that donated items for the silent auction and raffles. I also saw great prizes from local representatives of The Happy Gardener, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Premier Jewelry, DoubleTree Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Hanover Air Park Auto, The Children's Museum, Ginter Botanical Garden, Avon, Pizza Fusion, Buffalo Wild Wings, Romp n' Roll, The Smokey Pig, Stroller Strides...whew! And I know I am leaving some folks out.

It's been an emotional weekend for me. I'm not really sure where it started. I was unusually weepy on my drive to work this morning. It just hit me for reasons I can't explain. Then things got "worse" when I spent about 90 minutes working on a slide show presentation on the foundation for the event this evening. Putting Charlotte's story into words (again) and adding all kinds of pictures just brought memories and thoughts flooding in.

Then, about 2/3 of the way through this evening's event, I realized: Roger and I were the only adults there without kids! (I'm not really counting the grandparents...and really, they had kids there too...their adult kids!) It was truly a family event and I loved seeing some of our regular romp n' rollers as well as many of our friends from church and the community. And yet, there remains this constant thought in my head that I no longer have a child. It really HIT me like a ton of bricks tonight.

I often hear people speak of our strength. It's been a constant theme. Again, tonight I had perfect strangers (as well as a few close friends) come up to me and remark, "I don't know how you do it. Where do you find the strength?" I can't answer that question with any kind of certainty but I can truly say that I just take each day one step at a time. I keep myself busy and that definitely helps.

Idle time = thinking time = opportunities for the mind to run wild and truly make you crazy.

One Day At a Time, Baby. One Day At a Time!

The surreal essence of my new reality plays out in some really bizarre ways sometimes. After so many months (a whole year) of an intense and stressful lifestyle, I am finding the occasional solace in the freedom that Roger and I now have. I would give anything to have Charlotte back here...in my life...healthy. But when I spend full days at work and realize all that I can accomplish when I am not shuttling back and forth between home and the hospital OR strategizing on a new treatment protocol OR anticipating the next MRI or surgery, it is a harsh reminder of how much of our lives were lost in 2009.

When you become a parent, your life is consumed by your child in so many ways. Your life now revolves around their schedule: naps, eating, school, activities, vacations.

Now imagine that consumption intensified about 1000 times with a life-threatening illness.

And then imagine that one day, that all-consuming part of your life just ENDS.

Yep. It's bizarre. No other way to describe it.

Tomorrow we are planning to go up to Bethesda to visit the Georolds. This is the family that we met in Houston, lives in Denver, but is currently pursuing an experimental protocol at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her recurrent leukemia. They have been blessed with a lot of family support during this leg of their journey and currently things seem to be working for Allie even though she's still struggling to get well. The experimental protocol on which they have her seems to be promising. We are looking forward to being able to see them again and support them in a small way.

Hooray for a weekend with no substantial snow. Hooray for a weekend with no cancelled birthday parties or classes. Hooray for the Thumbs Up Ball!

Hooray for our friends and family who love us everyday!

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!

No business like SNOW business...

Well, it's the end of January and we have a forecast for SNOW this weekend. There was a hilarious article posted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (online) about the phenomenon that is SNOW in RICHMOND. If you live in Richmond, you will understand this and appreciate it (in all its humor). If you don't live here, this will give you an inkling as to why we are all so crazy when it comes to snow here...everybody have your milk and bread?

The latest forecast seems to be on the lesser side in terms of accumulation and that's just fine by me. We have a full slate of birthday parties this weekend at Romp n' Roll and I'd rather not reschedule them!

Speaking of Romp n' Roll, Roger and I are back in the saddle and couldn't feel better about it. The past two weeks have been great. We have been energized by the kids and feel so supported by our families. Plus, spring registration is rolling so we are excited about that.

Roger's birthday is this weekend and we have a friend from our old college days (Becky!) coming to visit from Chicago so we are excited. Aside from our normal work obligations, we are planning to take in a concert by the Atkinsons at Ashland Coffee and Tea and probably just do some hangin'.

Everyone keeps asking us how we are. I surprise myself every time I say, "I'm ok." but I really am. I have those moments where I miss her (every day) and those moments when I think about her (at least once an hour) but I'm not in a puddle on the floor and I guess that counts for something. Staying busy definitely seems to help, my new exercise routine seems to help (hooray for the Wii!) and working on the FOUNDATION definitely helps but otherwise there is no way that I can truly explain how or why I feel the way I do. It just is...

I can't remember if we've posted this yet, but mark your calendars for the THUMBS UP BALL on Saturday, February 13th from 4-7 PM. This is a family dance for all ages at the Shady Grove Methodist Church in Mechanicsville and will be a great fundraiser for CJSTUF. The Moms Club of Mechanicsville is organizing it. There will be a silent auction, live music by Triad, and a visit from the Dance Fairy! Kids are encouraged to dress in their festive attire! Tickets are $10 and available at any Romp n' Roll location. There is an event link on our FACEBOOK fan page and more details will be posted on the CJSTUF events page soon (we're fixing some link stuff...). You can contact me or Roger if you have further questions. The event hall holds about 1000 people and we would love for this to be a SELL OUT!

Ok, I think I've babbled on enough and need to get back to work. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Rachel