For those friends and family who follow our crazy life you know that this last weekend, August 9th & 10th, we had our two night fundraiser. Scott and I, and a ton of other people, put on a production of The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown. To prep for the show and get the word out, Scott and I went on 4 news stations, had an article in our local newspaper and put posters up all over town. Not to mention many facebook and twitter posts inviting anyone and everyone. And I am overjoyed, thrilled, humbled, in awe....I don't have enough words to express how incredible this weekend turned out.
So many people made this weekend memorable and possible. My mom, little brother and his girlfriend surprised me by coming in from California to support and cheer on our family and to be here for an important event in our adoption journey. My mother in law kept my children too many times to count as we rehearsed, prepped and just used Granny for what she is best at...loving those girls! Carl & Jane Moore, LuAnn Lane and Sandy Faulkner literally brought this story to life and volunteered their time and talent as a gift to our family. (They are beyond special to us.) And over 500 of our friends and family came out to support and love on us, friday and saturday night. Not only did so many come and support us but local businesses sponsored our show. I could never write enough or say enough about how awesome these companies are. Odessa Pumps, Howell & Windham Advertising, Apple Electrical Contractors and Fletco are local Odessa/Midland companies I would promote, support and use for whatever you need!
And when thinking about this weekend I tried to figure out what my favorite part was. Some memorable moments for sure are hitting a note I thought might never pop out of my tired throat!, laughing at Scott as he made me sit on stage waiting for his entrance, watching my little brother laugh at me on stage when most people weren't even paying attention or getting one of the best hugs from my mother in law. Some others are just looking out at the familiar faces of so many people in the audience or watching LuAnn Lane (our musical director) skip 2 entire pages of music and somehow keep herself composed and get everyone, including all 5 musicians, back on track. But while all of these are great moments, the best one for me was knowing that my sweet boy is loved. He may not be born yet, or he may be only weeks, days or months old and already he is loved. He is loved, cherished and eagerly awaited by a community of hard working, God loving, pull together kind of people. Philip Knight, the father of 3 who spoke before the show, said it beautifully. 'Most people hear of a problem 3000 miles away and think well thats not on me. So there are orphans all over the world, as long as I don't come in contact with them...not my problem right? But the people of Odessa/Midland are not cut from the same cloth'!!! And when our family came before you saying we have been called, our hearts have been broken, there is a little boy who is waiting and he is our son, you did not hesitate to step in and help. You did not cautiously stand by watching but actively stepped up to the plate and can I just say...KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK!!!
I can enthusiastically say that this weekend helped save my little boys life. Samuel will grow up knowing and hearing of the people who believed in our family and believed in his future. So from the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU! I wish there were words that could adequately express our gratitude to be a part of this community but nothing conveys the depth our hearts have felt. We love you all so much and cannot wait to bring this little boy home!
