7/23/11: Just Relax, it's hot as hell.

Mr. and Mrs. Food Planners

Mike mixing the hits!

Dana and the band rocking out.

Mmmm...Beer...

Yours truly, handling my raffle duties.

Our lovely ticket ladies.

Bartenders getting a hand from JJ.

Whoring ourselves err..the side board raffles

The lady who put it all in motion!

Let me start off by saying that I didn't actually take any of these pics.  I stole some from Andrea's Blog and Lynn Berger and Tammy Schimpf's Facebook pages.  Now that the royalties are out of the way let me tell you about how fabulous and hot tonight was.

I cannot begin to describe how awesome the night went.  I'm incredibly blessed to have found a super group of women who started out as internet buddies but, that I now call my friends. Tonight was a double bonus because I got to meet a lot of them in person tonight.  Everyone really came together from decorating, to cooking, to donating, etc. etc. etc.  Even people who couldn't attend and don't even reside in Ohio these days. I was super proud to be a part of this event.  I can't leave out the husbands either.  Everyone's husband who was there (mine included) jumped in and helped the entire night.  They totally rocked.

This idea started out so small just a mere few months ago and to see it all come together tonight was incredible.  The fact that we had no air conditioning didn't phase anyone either.  Except my hair.  I am not a pretty sweat-er. :)  We were uber successful and raised upwards of $10,000 for the Kneppers!  Can you believe it!?!  

Nights like these leave you all warm and fuzzy and gives a restored appreciation for the kindness that still lives in people.  There is so much negative in the world at times, it's great to see a community come together for one of its own.

Or maybe two of its own. :)

Guests of honor deluxe!

Don't forget to check out Jen's Blog! for more on their story.

5/23/11: Just Relax, A Night of Relaxation for a Lifetime of HOPE

I have a friend who is a way better blogger/writer than I ever will be.  If you don't pee your pants laughing or cry tears of joy and sadness for her something is wrong with you. Check her out here: http://www.jennepper.com/ and I promise you, you will thank me later.

Last summer, Jen & Mark decided to add to their family and after a successful FET they found out they would be having identical twins. Unfortunately, her pregnancy wasn’t all roses & sunshine – there were lots of concerns and doctors and drama. In the end, Jen ended up in the hospital around 32 weeks with hopes of seeing her girls very soon. A c-section was scheduled and the wait began.
Things went wrong. Very wrong. The girls were born via emergency C-section on December 29, 2010. Itty Bitty Baby, Ainsley, was small but mighty and taken straight to the NICU. Hog Baby, Evelyn, was just as beautiful but born perfectly still.
Ainsley is a fighter. A beautiful little girl who is surrounded by so much love, hope and prayers. She has been through a lot in her short little life – including spine surgery, G-tube surgery and most recently a tracheotomy.

 The road ahead is long and her family has been adjusting to their “new normal” that includes 2 full time working parents, spending time with Olivia and spending whatever time they can with Ainsley along with countless hours in the car coming to and from all of these places.

Who knows what the future holds, all we can do is focus on the now.

When someone is hurting, or in need, as friends we want to do SOMETHING. If we could take away their pain and their hurt we would, but since we can't we typically try to fill their bellies and put a smile on their face in any way possible. 

Myself along with several other "in real life" friends have put together a fundraiser dinner & Reverse Raffle where 100% of the profit will benefit the Knepper family. We spent this morning working out details and honestly being overwhelmed with everyone's generosity so far.
There will be food, booze, reverse raffles, live entertainment, lots of goodies to be raffled off with a side of relaxation.

The event is planned for Saturday July 23rd in Northeast Ohio.

You can check out all the info and buy tickets before they are gone here: 

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104571292968005&ref=ts