Grand total...drum roll please.....

What an AWESOME weekend for Zach's Toy Chest!  We raised $2,157.50 at our first Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer Motorcycle Ride and $790 at our first Giving Grill at Whole Foods Market in Cary. 

We accomplished something I've been dreaming about for a while now - we raised awareness for all the bald kids and raised money to provide the local hospitals with toys for these kids while receiving treatment.  What a success! 

I'm happy, but far from content.  This experience has given me a drive to do something more.  I am already fully planning our 3rd Annual Holiday Toy Drive and it is coming together beautifully.

HERE'S A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS, RIDERS, SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS THAT CAME OUT TO OUR EVENTS THIS WEEKEND AND HELPED MAKE THEM SUCH A SUCCESS!

Adult Bibs, Bearded Ladies and more...the fair is in town!

It's official...I am a true blond under the red hair.  If there was something to forget this week, I've forgotten it.  I'm just saying it now - sorry!  To say things have been crazy is a serious understatement. 

Our week started off in a restaurant and since then each time we go eat, I've learned to be on guard of 'weird restaurant happenings'.  So we're sitting at a local joint and this middle aged woman walks by with something under her arm...no biggie at this point.  She gets to her table and whips out two plastic bibs, complete with a pocket to catch food.  You know the ones...like we all used for our toddlers when they were learning to use fingers and/or forks.  The lady puts her own on and then the waitress puts the husbands on for him.  Please do not think I am making fun of elderly people.  I am not.  These were people my parents age, not elderly.  I've really never seen anything like this and cannot stop staring.  I videoed it and would post it if I could figure out how, but it was really entertaining.

Our next eating out adventure took place a favorite brunch spot up in Cary and I swear the State Fair lost it's Bearded Lady.  Usually it is all me that notices things like this, but this time it was Adam.  And boy did he notice.  He actually told me my little peach fuzz wasn't so bad after all...  What a compliment.  I have since seen this lady twice since the first offense.

Our final restaurant adventure was back at the scene of the crime at the local joint in Williamston.  We were deciding on what to have when Zach is suddenly seized by pain and starts withering around in pain on the floor and on my lap.  He can't walk because the pain is so bad.  He tells me between tears that his belly hurts.  Talk about panic.  This kid had a grapefruit size tumor in his belly without me knowing - so whenever he says his belly hurts I am all ears.  Turns out it was an extreme gas attack.  Who knew that kids his age got attacks like that??? Not me.  He hasn't had something like that since he was a newborn so it caught me completely off guard.  I've got a arsenal of those gas drops in my purse now though, just in case. 

We decided not to try anymore eating out after this.  I've more than met my quota of weirdness for the week.  Enough of adult bibs, ladies with beards and gas attacks...

The motorcycle ride, Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer, is almost here and has been planned as best as I know how.  Hope everyone is ready for tomorrow - LOTS going on! 

I am thankful for the perfect weather we are supposed to have and hopeful for a massive crowd to join us at The Pig in Williamston.  Whoever is too far away or can't make the ride - you need to hop on over to Cary and see all the lovely volunteers for our Giving Grill at Whole Foods Market Fall Harvest Festival from 12-6pm.  Both events should be awesome thanks to all our supporters.

See you all tomorrow at one event or the other.  Thanks for making Zach's Toy Chest such a success!  Check out the website for all the details of both events by clicking here.  We're making a lot of kids happy by supplying a distraction in the form of a new toy.

It wasn't me...

Zach has been blaming everything he does on the 'ghost' and 'monster' lately.  I wonder if this would work for me?  I'd like to see people's faces when I said, "Oh no, it wasn't me, it was the ghost!"  Weird looks are not that uncommon for me, so no biggie there.

I need some good people to step up and be volunteers for me Oct. 23 from 12-6pm at Whole Foods, Cary.  We are having our Giving Grill that day where ZTC will get 100% of all money we collect.  You'd have to serve plates of hamburgers and/or sausages for $5/plate and chat about ZTC - easy peasy.  This event is taking place the same day and time as Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer so I won't be able to make it to the event and force people to buy plates or else...this is where my volunteers come in ;)

Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer is getting bigger and better every day - yay!  Now we have to pray hard for sunny 75 degree weather.  Here is the final schedule of events and times for each singer along with the ride route.  Please be aware that this is an estimated timeline and may vary slightly.  We are hoping to stick as closely as possible to these times.

9 AM-4 PM - Bouncy house, face painting, ice cream, funnel cakes, vendors, live music
  9:30 AM - Sarah Hardison
10:15 AM - Jamie Byrant
11:00 AM - Ride starts
11:15 AM - Michelle Perry
   12 Noon - Dick Feyer
 1:00 PM - Lunch served, Powerstroke

Ride Route: 
Ride leaves Piggly Wiggly, takes 17 South towards Washington
Right on Wharton Station Road
Right on Hwy 264 going towards Greenville
Right on Hwy 30W - to Stokes and stops at Country Mart, 15-20min break.
Leave Stokes on 903 towards Bear Grass
Left on 1001 going towards Bear Grass
Right on Sweet Home Church Road and cross over Hwy 17
Left on Goddard Town Road
Right on Smithwick Creek Church Road
Left on Fire Dept. Road
Right on Hwy 17, back in town to the Piggly Wiggly.
Total miles: approx.70  Total time: approx. 1hr 50min

Thanks to everyone and all businesses that are sponsoring the ride and helping volunteer - we could not do any of this without you!

 

Shat!

It's been an interesting morning.  A lovely pile of dog shat awaited me first thing and even though I have washed my shoes, I can't shake the smell of crap.  We arrive at my office/sister's house/babysitter to order a batch of shirts for ZTC and update facebook and the website only to find that we need a permit from our local police to have our motorcycle fundraiser...and it isn't free.  There goes $50 towards paperwork. 


We have worked so hard for all our donations that I'm actually mad that I have to spend $50 on this permit.  I'm working on a way to get around this before my meeting with the officer after lunch.  We will see what happens.  


I'm still out and about druming up donations and asking for sponsors for this ride - if you want to be a part of this awesome event, let me know! 


ZTC is also having an event, the Giving Grill, in the Triangle area at Whole Foods Market in Cary.  This too will be a really great event. There will be local beef burgers and sausages available for a $5 donation to support Zach's Toy Chest along with much more!  Please come out to support ZTC in the Triange area if you are not already participating in the ride.  We appreciate you guys more than we can say!

Elvis Anyone?

Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer is shaping up to be a spectacular event thanks to you all.  Here's the line up so far:

9AM-4PM - Bouncy house, face painting, ice cream, funnel cakes, snow cones, vendors, live music
11:00 - Ride starts
11:15 - Sarah Hardison (country/gospel)
11:45 - Jamie Byrant (country/gospel)
12:15 - Michelle Perry (gospel)
  1:00 - Powerstroke (classic rock), Lunch served
  2:00 - Dick Feyer (Elvis songs)

Today has been pretty awesome.  I started out this morning in Plymouth recording a public service announcement for the ride on Magic 95.9.  Truly fun and funny experience.  I believe I like hearing myself on the radio - I could really get used to that.  However, the funny part came when the DJ told me I smelled really good and wanted to know what I was wearing...haha.  I told him it was called, "Shower".  Such a little thing, but it made me laugh.

Hanging out with Zach this afternoon while I update the website and face book has been fun too.  Zach hears me talking to myself as I type and calls me a 'weirdo'.  Gotta love how perceptive he is these days.  He has also learned the word, heifer.  He heard me yell at a bad driver and now he thinks it so funny to just yell out, 'Move you heifer!'  It could always be worse  :)

Make sure you mark your calendars and are at the event of the season!  Oct. 23rd. Piggly Wiggly parking lot, Williamston.  See you there!

New at this

Here goes - I've jumped into the world of blogging and have a brand new way to reach people and make them help me in my mission to raise awareness for childhood cancer.  I'm finally free to say whatever I want and not worry so much about offending others, however, this blog isn't meant to offend anyone, it was created so I can talk about what I want people to know. 

My son, Zach, had cancer and boy did it suck - big time.  My baby was only 10 months old when we discovered he had stage 3, intermediate risk Neuroblastoma.  Tests, tests and more tests revealed that Zach had a grapefruit size mass in his belly that started near his right adrenal gland and right kidney.  How in the world did we miss this???  I'll never know how we missed such a large tumor, but am glad we found it when we did.  That's all that matters at this point.

I wanted to take a sec and let everyone know how much we have appreciated everything that was and is done for our family.  Without help from family and friends, we wouldn't have made it through that first day, much less the last 2 years.  Everything from cards sent to Zach to food dropped off to fundraisers to help us pay for medical bills.  WOW - just thinking back on all that was done for us is overwhelming me.  You guys are great! 

As most of you know, once Zach started getting better, I needed something else to focus on besides his cancer.  Zach's Toy Chest was created to help keep Duke and Pitt Children's Hospitals stocked with toys to hand out to kids receiving cancer treatments.  A toy = A distraction.  My goal is to give these kids something to distract them from why they are at the hospital.  Its not much, but its something.  I can always use help and if you want to help us with our mission, let me know and I'll put you to work!

Currently ZTC is holding our first ever, Cruizin' for Childhood Cancer Motorcycle Fundraising Ride.  We need everyone we know within driving distance to hop on their bikes (sport, Harley, Honda, whatever) or in their cars and come on over to the Piggly Wiggly in Williamston, NC on Saturday, October, 23rd.  Registration starts at 9:30AM and the ride starts at 11AM.  We are having live music from the band Powerstroke, Jamie Bryant, Sarah Hardison and more!  There will be BBQ sandwhiches, hotdogs, chips, deserts, and drinks for lunch.  Raffles and door prizes will be given out as well.  Bouncy house, face painting, 'who can draw the best motorcycle in sidewalk chalk' contest, and much more!  Just check it out on facebook, the website or here.  Call me for info or questions:  702-439-9394 or email at zachstoychest@gmail.com.

So now that I've got this blog and can update everyone on things for Zach's Toy Chest, Zach and our family and whatever else is on my mind I hope you all keep reading and stay interested.  More to come soon!