And the Award Goes To.....

Last Saturday, we went to our JDRF Awards Luncheon.  

It was beautiful!  It was held at a local country club.  Snow was falling.  Christmas decorations were up.  It was a beautiful scene!

Sweetpea has been looking forward to the Awards Lunch since...... Well, since World Diabetes Day.  She was sooooo bummed that we missed all the excitement and events on WDD because we were in the ER with high bg, ketones, and pukes from another bad site.  You can read about THAT lovely day in the post, Isn't It Ironic?

She kept saying... "I'm sad that I missed Diabetes Day.  But I'll get to go to the walk awards!  I hope I get a trophy!"

Last year, she got a trophy.  Last year, she cleaned up!  You can read about that HERE.

I was a little worried.... what if she didn't get a trophy this year?  I knew she'd be heartbroken.

Well, I had nothing to worry about!


She DID get a trophy!  A BIG, PINK trophy!

We also got another Golden Sneaker award.  Plus two plaques for our two elementary schools that participated in our Dimes for Diabetes Campaign.  

Wanna know what the trophy was for?


Top Family Team!

Woo hoo!  I was shocked!  I didn't think we had made it.  One of the ladies that works with our JDRF branch had emailed me, telling me we were just a few hundred dollars shy of the ONE team in front of us.  I didn't think we had anything else left in us.... 


BUT, with the corporate matching that some of our donors used.... our team total was right at.....

$16,000


WOW.  Overwhelmed!  I didn't think we could top last year.  I didn't think there was any way.  But we did!

Thanks to LOTS of help from our friends and family!  

I don't boast about this to say, "Look at me!  Look at what I did!  Aren't I great?!?"

No, no.  I write this because I'm so incredibly PROUD of all the effort put in by my family, friends, and school.


Without you - there's NO WAY we would raise that kind of cash.  NO WAY.  I don't care if you gave the $.30 in your pocket or sent us a $1,000 check.  It's ALL important.  Every bit.


Here's how YOU did it...

We had lots of generous donations.   We did Spirit Nights at McDonald's and Chick-fil-A and a Thirty One fundraiser and BIG garage sale!  


It was a lot of work... but well worth it!  

The Dimes for Diabetes campaign raised a LOT of money! And to think - that's what happens when you just donate your pocket change.  It adds up!  Kids were bringing in bags of change.  Sometimes just a few cents and sometimes it was $20 in change from their piggy bank.  


That's what this is about, folks.  Giving.  Giving back.  Paying it forward.  


It warmed my heart on that cold, snowy day to accept that award.... on behalf of all of YOU. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in ANY way to help us out with our fundraising efforts this year.  It's because of YOU that we are able to do this.  It's because of YOU that we raised that much money.  It's going to be because of YOU that we find a cure.  Thank you.


Thank you to the ladies at JDRF!  Thanks for making my little girl feel like a princess!  Thank you for making her feel so special and so loved.  There is nothing better!

What can I say?  Diabetes entered our lives like a tornado.  Blowing down most everything in it's path.  We never saw it coming.  

There are days when it's really hard.  When we've been up all night chasing lows... or highs.  When the site isn't working.  When Sweetpea is crying and scared.  When we're in the hospital.  When we're counting carbs. When we don't think we can take one. more. minute. of this madness but we know that there is no end in sight.


It's those times that we feel ALL of you behind us.  Supporting us.  Yes, with money.  But also with faith, love, caring, and HOPE.


HOPE and FAITH.  You hear those words a lot this time of year.  


Those words have new meaning for us.  Because of YOU.


Thank you!