Hope4Peyton

Picture you’re a Smurf…you’re short, you’re blue and you wear a funky little white hat…and people look at you a wee bit cock-eyed and crazy when you tell them you’re a smurf. You feel like a lone little Smurf in the world. You’ve heard of whole communes of the great blue ones, you’ve even had a chance to talk to some…but still very much a Smurf in a world of Gargamels. *dude, if you didn’t watch cartoons in the 80’s, you are so missing that whole analogy and I worked hard on it*

Then one blessed day you walk into the Hotel Preston and H.O.L.Y. crapola, there is nothing but a SEA of short, blue, funky-white-hat wearing folks just like you.

This was me at Blissdom09.

I found my fellow Smurfs, ya’ll!

And they were teh awesomest.

I won’t go into great detail about all the bloggity stuff we did, because for those of you who aren’t bloggers it will mean nothing…and for those of you who are bloggers and couldn’t go it’ll be like laying on a bed of razor blades folllowed by a lemon juice shower.

I’ll just tell you that I had a time that finds the words “wonderful”, “fantastic”, “outrageous” paling by comparison.  It was more than my tiny brain could take in.

Beyond all the panels of information and sessions of Q/A, the truly shocking thing I learned was that there are, in fact, NO ROCK STARS.

I had high hopes of getting to meet bloggers that I’d read, tweeted, facebooked, stalked with the intensity of a thousand suns…and I did…and they did not find me to be a complete spaz (or if they did, they hid it so nicely).  They were funny and inviting and just as enthusiastic to be there meeting people as I was, they weren’t holding court or expecting adoration…there were no diva complexes.

And I? was pretty amazed by that.

I will tell you that the first time someone turned to me and hugged me and squealed “I read your blog!” I nearly died on the spot…bury me now, I’m done here.  With no little amount of shock I looked around like “Are you SURE you meant me? I know MooshInIndy and RedneckMommy are standing right behind me, did you miss one of them on accident and are now unsure of how to get away from the token Asian *seriously, 250 women and I was the only one* in the room?”

But no. She was excited to meet ME, she asked me how the kids were, she KNEW me.  And for that second, I felt like a rock star.

That was what the whole weekend felt like, giving each person THEIR rock star moments…cause, whether everyone felt it, we were ALL with the band, yo!

I don’t want to minimize one single person I met or forget any significant moment, but I know I can’t help but fail on this one..so I’ll just do this one thing and be done with it:

My Highlights of Blissdom09

• Hearing Jen Lancaster (the author, the blogger, the goddess) give a shout out to my cleavage in her end-of-conference keynote speech..oh YES she did…and then she was kind enough to take the time to hunt me down with a copy of her yet-unavailable new book “Pretty In Plaid“. I’ve already had a stroke once, I’m pretty sure I was just seconds from having another.
• Getting to celebrate Beth’s birthday at a dinner full of laughs and new friends.
• Hitting downtown Nashville with some of the finest booty-shaking, karaoking, beer-swilling, Elvis-statue-molesting, boot-buying, BBQ-loving friends (and I was wrong, there was ONE rock star in the bunch).
• Not being part of the Elevator 13. <–must read, go NOW!  Then come back and guess who was one of the party being photographed in the lobby by the manager. HEH. Sorry, ladies.
• All of the “sleeper meets”…people I didn’t know I wanted to meet, but I know my trip was made better, brighter and shinier for the meetings.
• Seeing my kids’ faces when they woke up and I was finally home.  THAT really was the best part of the whole weekend.
• HOLY Linkage, peeps! I know you probably won’t, but definitely check out some of these incredible people….and if you really feel the need, there are some HYsterical pictures on my Flickr (mom, you may not find ALL of them appropriate, but the Canadians invaded and I wasn’t at leisure to object, even if I wanted to).

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I know I said my contest only went through the 8th…but I was out of town and all and then THIS happened….

…and they look are the equivilent of human cupcakes with sweet, luscious buttercream icing with little sprinkles of RAWR on top…cupcakes that sing…like angels. So, I’m extending the contest to win their cd/dvd and a box of Godiva Truffles until the 11th, since only a couple of people have even commented on it!

You’re welcome. *smooches*

because I am at Blissdom and it’s amazing!

I want to tell you all about it and give you all the fun details and tell you what it meant to me to get on that plane and fly away from my kids and responsibilities.

But for right now, all I have are some pictures to share.  We are made of fun, yo!

Is going to be a goooood weekend.

Oh, and please go check out the music review and giveaway of DVD, CD and Godiva Truffles on the Mayhew Review…but other than that?  Just go take a gander at the pics of Blissdom so far….and just let this sink in…for dinner?  I had grits with cheese, bacon and shrimp…twas NOM NOM NOM.

And Friday? The conference actually starts.

Yeah, it’s always a party up in here.

Pay It Forward was a great movie…I bawled like a baby, but still thought it was a powerful movie.

And it became a bit of a buzzphrase, a catchphrase to encompass anything that benefitted others.  Sort of overused to the point where “paying it forward” ceases to mean anything.

Yet, it’s a wonderful idea.  Why wouldn’t you want to take something good that is done for you and channel that effort into making someone else’s life a better place?

Come on! Aren’t you just aching for some feel-good-warm-and-fuzzies right this second?

Can you smell the ask coming on?  I never claimed to be subtle.

The summer after Peyton was diagnosed we had the most amazing fundraiser, so many friends came out to help and it touched us so deeply to see the community come out and support our daughter. Plus, no lie, we really needed that money, having a sick child requires some serious bank.

(For real, Vader sent the troops out for her fundraiser…because we are just THAT cool)

It was such a relief to know that there was money put aside for her costs, all her meds, her copays (4 times a week ain’t cheap), the special food she craved, the gas to the hospital an hour away, the meals for a week inpatient…all of those things individually weren’t too bad, but they were adding up and UP and UP….and it hurt.

We were profoundly blessed by the many people who came out and made that day a success.  I cried more than a few tears at seeing God work wonders in our lives.

We have the chance to be that wonder for someone else.

I’ve known so many kids who’ve had fundraisers over the years we’ve been in this. Some I’ve shared and tried to get the word out…others I haven’t…there is always a fundraiser going and I never want to numb you to the seriousness of the need by constantly shoving your face in it.

This one is just particularly close to my heart.  This girl is family to us.  Her mother is like a sister to me.

Mandy is 8 years old and her life has never been average.  Even before her cancer diagnosis last spring she has been under medical care for a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis (cookie for the one who can pronounce THAT!).  In the easiest terms possible, Mandy’s body lacks a specific gene that you and I have that tells our body to NOT make tumors…and her body grew a malignant tumor in her brain, called an Optic Glioma.

That in itself is enough.  Enough to deserve the help anyone can give, enough to garner the compassion of any person who understands what it means to fear for your child and especially from those who are blessed to not have to.

But everyone knows this economy.  Everyone understands strain.

Just this week, Mandy’s father took a substantial pay decrease to keep himself in a job and with insurance.  Mandy’s mom had to quit her job as a teacher last year at the time of diagnosis to be a full time caregiver.

Times are tough for many.

These are beyond tough.

These are devastating.

So, that said…it’s time to pay it forward.

The local elementary school is allowing us to hold a fundraiser for Mandy’s family and I am hoping to be a part of making this day a blessing to the Willis family. Thanks to the generosity of some amazing friends, local and internet, auction items are being pledged (but we can use MOOORE if you have something to give and want to) and I know they will have a huge impact on the success of the event.

But I want to offer all of you an easy and simple way to help Mandy’s family.

If you look to the right of this post, in the first sidebar is a shiny new widget that says “Are you in My TopSpot?”  By clicking on that widget and for a $10 dollar donation, you can put your link on my site in the #1 spot….until someone else comes along and donates $10 and puts THEIR link in the #1 spot.

WHAT?  Who do they think they are?

You OWN that #1 spot.

And all you have to do to get it back is to donate another $10 and you are magically deliciously bumped back to the #1 spot.

Every penny goes to Mandy.

If you only donate once or you donate every day, that is an amazing gift to a little girl who doesn’t even realize the depth of her need, her brother and sister and her wonderful Mom and Dad who are trying so hard to make a normal life for them all.

Not good. Not outstanding.  Just normal.

In all honesty, and I’m going to do something that apparently flies in the face of the blogger’s covenant to never talk about “how many readers I have”….if each one you readers were willing to part with $10, we could put over $8-9000 in Mandy’s account. (Even if you don’t have a blog, you can put a link to another favorite site or to a site you’d like to bring to the spotlight)

SERIOUSLY!

For $10.  And you get a pretty shiny link. Haven’t you always wanted one?  Didn’t you ask your parents for one and they always said no? Well, Anissa is saying YES, you deserve that link now!  <–and I also promise to stop talking about myself in the third person.

So, that’s it.

Just donate for Mandy.

Oh, and this:

After that, if you don’t give me $10 for Mandy I’ll tell everyone your heart is just made of stone.

I am packing for a trip.

Just me. No kids, no Peter.

I haven’t gone on a trip away from my family in over eleven years!  The closest I came was a weekend in Orlando, during which I was still only an hour from home at any given point in time.

This trip is totally untethered.  I am going to attend Blissdom 09 in Nashville! The one in Tennessee. I am obviously delirious with joy, ya’ll. Or is that y’all?  You all?  Whatevah!

I’m leaving on Thursday morning and saying what is sure to be a teary goodbye to my little beloveds and leaving on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again.

Ok, so I do know when I’ll be back, I come back on Sunday.  Still, it makes that song kind of float around your head, right?

I’m rambling.  I’m excited!

Four days, folks. Four uninterrupted DAYS of grown-up time…all bloggers doing bloggity things…this is my first event so it could just be a bunch of people hunched over laptops, eating bacon and drinking martinis…which totally works for me.

Sort of like home, but better dressed.

I am starting to get the jitters about being gone for so long.  I know that between Peter and his mother the kids are going to be fine…but will I take a blow to the heart to know that I am, in fact, not indespensible?

WOW.  I can really bring it all down to my crazy, can I not?  You just can’t buy that kind of insanity off the shelf.

I am doing all sorts of last minute preparations…getting cold weather clothes ready because you know what?  It’s freaking COLD in Nashville!  I’m measuring suitcases to fit the guidelines and will probably have to lug the thing down to Publix when all is packed to make sure it doesn’t go over fifty pounds.  I am getting all the kids’ ducks in a row in hopes that my absence won’t be a traumatic event for them…which I’m sure with Grandma’s propensity for ice cream shops and Dad’s love of video games, all will be fine.

And me?

I’ll be the one in the lobby of the hotel, tackling bloggers I’ve been anxiously waiting to meet!

Any chance you know someone who can bail me out in Nashville?

Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

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Last reminder for the LAST chance to enter for the HP Photosmart All-In-One WIRELESS printer I’m giving away over on my Mayhew Review site.  This is it! Random winner will be announced on the 4th.  And just a warning, I’ve got a lot of stuff brewing over there, so be prepared!

Dear 35th year,

You are not off to what most people would refer to as “a good start”.

In fact, some might say you’re a looking a little scary right now.

I had enough issues with the fact that it was the 35th birthday, but I got over it and even decided to celebrate it…even though part of me would rather just sit at home in the dark and wait for my AARP card to arrive.

Now, my husband wasn’t here to celebrate it with me, but that was because I told him to just go ahead and stay in Alabama. Oh, yes I did.  After all, his heart belonged to the Steelers long before it belonged to me and I didn’t even feel like dealing with the inner turmoil he’d feel trying to decide which event would capture his attention…and I didn’t need the blow to my pride of knowing that he’d much rather be watching a bunch of men in tights.

So, I called up a few friends and we made plans to hit the town.

Little did we know that the town was going to hit back. HARD.

Dinner was lovely….the food was good…the service was impeccible…the company divine.

In retrospect?  We should have just hugged and said goodbye and called it a night.

A man might still be alive.

No, that’s a complete overstatement.  He’d still be dead…he did have a massive heart attack, fall off his bar stool and cause my two friends (both nurses) to have to run over and perform CRP. My two friends.  Kneeling on the floor of a bar performing CPR on a man with no pulse.

Ten minutes prior we did a shot and took incriminating photos of each other on a pole!

Then?  Dead guy, right there…as his poor wife crying…and the ambulence taking him away…my poor friends working to save this guy’s life…the twenty people who refused to stop line dancing fifteen feet away from where this poor man is laid out on the floor. Classy joint.

Pretty EPIC buzzkill, I gotta say.

On the other hand, we have the makings of a FINE country song in there, don’t ya think?

After THAT and our complete failure to be able to dance with the self-appointed professionals we decided to leave.  HA! We would show them that we CAN dance…we are capable of some mighty fine booty shaking fun…we just can’t do all that “turn, left, stomp, and kick and kick and stomp and back” crap.

Except, all the booty-shaking clubs are in Ybor City or downtown Tampa.

Again, did I mention it’s Superbowl weekend? And Tampa’s hosting?

So, any thoughts of going into Tampa to find a party time was dissuaded by the thoughts of traffic, cost and the fact that every hooker for a 600 mile radius had rolled into town to expand their business.

No matter.  We would find a place in our little town that has music and some fun still to be had. I mean, really? Not everyone went downtown to celebrate Superbowl style, right?

Oh. They did?  Wow. Hmmmm.

Well, how about that.

After a ridiculous stop into one place that you had to apparently be over 50 and deeply into Donna Summers to enjoy, we gave up.  Declared defeat.  Took our toys out of the sandbox and go home.

But NO!

Why not relive some glory of our youth and try to do a late night Waffle House run….remember those? After the bars closed, some greasy hashbrowns seemed to just be the perfect topper to a good night?

As it hadn’t been a good night so far, we should have known it wouldn’t go well.

Just as we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, our need for bacon appeased, a group of kids come into the Waffle House and announce, “Hey, there’s a crying baby in a car in the parking lot, someone should check on that.”

They looked at us quite pointedly, as if to say “you look like the type who’d have popped a couple of kids out of that body, you should really go check on that baby”.

We thought they were joking…it was late, it was dark, it was cold and it’s not like stupid kids haven’t been known to walk in and make ridiculous statements before…especially in a Waffle House in the middle of the night.

Natalie and I paid our bill and headed out.

And stopped dead in our tracks.

The car next to us?  Yeah, there really are three tiny kids sleeping in the car….no adult…engine off…SLEEPING IN THE CAR.

Did I mention before it was a roasting 41 degrees last night?  BABIES IN THE CAR! My brain exploded.

Apparently, the warning that a baby was crying jarred something in the memory of the mom because she walked out of the restaurant, opened the door, made sure there were still three and then closed the door and went BACK into the restaurant.  Leaving her BABIES IN THE CAR. The babies that oh-wow-check-that-out-isn’t-that-unexpected didn’t have ONE single carseat between the three of them.

We dialed 911. We reported the mom and the car and the license plate and then you know what we find out from talking to the police after?  They can’t do anything to her!  As long as she can see the car and the engine isn’t running (because THAT would be dangerous), she’s not doing anything wrong.

**NOTE to self:  that whole “I can’t get a babysitter, so I can’t go out” thing isn’t a problem anymore….just make sure you get a window seat and you can do whatever you want!  Good to know. **

So, needless to say, 35th birthday, you really have nowhere to go but UP from here.  No pressure, but if you could just go ahead and make some nice, fluffy, good things happen, it would be much appreciated.

Looking forward to another big year.

Sincerely,

Anissa

**Updated to add – My kids? Rock.  They gave me sweet gifts and lots of love and made everything ok.  The best kids EVER.