Relay for Life Garage Sale

We had our Relay for Life Garage Sale/Fundraiser on Saturday and it was a smashing success! I had never participated in a garage sale before and didn't know what to expect. I said going into it if we made $250, I would feel like it was worth it. I am happy to report we more than doubled that and made over $600. YAY! Go Team!!!

Putting on a garage sale is A LOT OF WORK! Thankfully, I have a great family who rallied together and pulled it off.

The Dream Team: Brett and Greg. Shortly after this delivery, the Dream Team made a Beto's run and saved us all with breakfast burritos. Thanks, guys!

The World's Greatest Dad. No seriously. This poor guy has been working around the clock these days and a day off is a rarity. I'm sure getting up at 5:30 AM on his free Saturday to label prices at a garage sale was just exactly what he wanted to be doing. This world would be a much better place if everybody had a dad like Sparky.

And if that wasn't enough, when I got home Saturday afternoon, I had a beautiful flower arrangement waiting for me from my dad. He told me he wanted to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and tell me thanks for being the mother of his grandkids. I told you he's the best!

I love these ladies! Paula had to be to work at 8:00 AM, but she came out for a couple of hours before work to help us get set up. She is awesome! (My mom took one for the team and stayed home with my kiddos so Greg and I could work at the sale. Thanks, Susie Q!) Love that teamwork!

Greg and Chelsea had fun reenacting the old middle school back-to-back-on-the-ladder pics.

And the single shot...simply stunning!

Bring on the customers....

Sweet Grace was a big help by coloring pictures for everybody.

What a champ...poor Emily is 9 months pregnant and due any day with baby girl #3. Bless her little heart, she was there at 6:30 AM, smiling and ready to work. She said she was really hoping it might send her into labor...no luck, but at least she went down fighting for a good cause!

Somebody said earlier in the week that maybe we should just forget about doing the Relay for Life anymore because it seems like most of our team has lost interest and there are just a few of us left who really seem to care. It really is a big commitment and does require a lot of time and effort. Sometimes I do wonder if it's worth it, but then I remember how sick my sweet Grandma Vone looked as she sat in her blue La-Z-Boy in the kitchen (we moved her chair into the kitchen so she could be close to the family and be able to look out the window). She was fighting cancer for the 2nd time when I met Greg, and she was really sick when I brought him home to meet her. She must have known it was going to work between us, because she started crocheting a special afghan she wanted us to have as a wedding present. She was so weak and would work on it until her hands were shaking and she couldn't do anymore, but she was determined to finish. Eventually, she had to quit and only finished a few squares, but I have still have them and even have one framed and hanging on our wall.

I also think about my Grandpa Claude and how much I loved him. I discovered I was expecting Garrett during the final days of his battle with cancer. From the first minute I knew I was pregnant, I knew he was going to be a boy and I knew he was going to have red hair. And I knew my Grandpa Butch would've LOVED our little boy--one redhead to another, two peas in a pod. I know my Grandpa is so happy to be with my Grandma again and he's in a much better place, but I can't help but feel a bit ripped off when we walk by his house and see somebody else living there. I know it was his time to go and he had lived a good life, but sometimes I wonder if my kids could have enjoyed the opportunity to know such an incredible man if there wasn't such a thing as cancer.

I realize the argument could be made that my grandparents were old and if cancer hadn't taken them, something else probably would have within a few years. But still, a few years...what would we give, give up, or do for even just a few more years with people we love? And what about the those who aren't old? Like my high school friend's 3-year-old son (Garrett's exact same age) who is battling leukemia? Or the 30-year-old mother of five children who just passed away from cancer a few months ago? Her family is also participating in the Relay this year.

It is worth it. So worth it. When asked if she thought we should quit doing the Relay, my mom answered, "When there's a cure for cancer, we can quit. Until then, I'll be walking." I couldn't say it any better myself. We have two months to go and lots of money still to raise. If cancer has affected your life or you are interested in donating, please contact me or visit our team webpage.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=30492&team_id=854909