Gabriella Gets some Celebrity Love!!

As most of you know, I have been an avid "Twilight" fan for a few years now! Kristi and I both share this passion, although it has extended out of just the "Twilight" realm and has followed alot of the actors beyond just their "Twilight" roles. Our favorite male celebrity in particular being Kellan Lutz, aka Emmett. Kristi and I had the opportunity to meet him last year in May when we attended "TwiTour" and it was an awesome experience. He was really an awesome guy! We left with alot of respect for him and our "love" for him just grew!

Now not only do WE have a passion for these movies but so do our little girls... These girls KNOW what Twilight is... They know who Rob, Kristen, Edward, Bella and especially EMMETT are!!

With the onset of Gabriella's condition this year, Kristi was not able to attend TwiTour with me this year. I knew that this was a huge disappointment for Kristi. When I knew this was going to be the case I set out on a mission. I was determined to get SOME sort of attention from Kellan for her, I knew that it wouldn't make up for all of the "crap" that had been going on for lack of a better word, but I knew that if it could bring just a little glimmer of sunshine to her day, that I HAD to try!! I was all prepared to have her picture from last year autographed by him and to try and give him one of my extra "Gabriella Bracelets". He is always big on wearing bracelets, so I figured why not try! Well then I was crushed with the news that due to "scheduling" he would not be giving autographs. DANG it! 

Well I went anyways, Still hoping for something. All to forget the picture and the bracelet in the rush of travelling. I was SO BUMMED. Esp because I ended up going to the brunch with him and could have taken the picture to be signed. I even tried to have the picture faxed to the fed ex center at the hotel. But it was Sunday, so it was closed! I talked to volunteers for Creation and just kept striking out! I was so frustrated. I thought, Well I will talk to him when he sits at our table and explain! Maybe he can do SOMETHING for me! NOPE! I wasn't able to get a single WORD in to him, the other women talked so much! Sigh. 

So I went home defeated.... Then he got a twitter. :) (evil grin) I didn't want to be one of those annoying fan girls... but this was for a good cause. Someone needs to bring some cheer to this little girl and to my dearest friend! And someone needs to help spread the words about CHD!!! So my master plan began to tweet him every time he tweeted. I figured he would get the hint eventually! I was starting to lose hope. I mean the guy does have almost 121,000 followers. 

THEN... This afternoon. My phone went off w a mobile alert of a tweet he sent. I hadn't bugged him in a while so I thought what the heck....

 @kellanlutz Please Shout out to @gabriellasheart 5yr old fan who had a heart transplant at Loma Linda Monday Night and is Recovering!!!

almost immediately my phone went off again:

kellanlutz @GabriellasHeart Bless your precious new heart! You are so loved! Wish you a quick and painless recovery!

AAAAHHHHH!!! Now that may not seem like alot to some people... But to ME and esp to KRISTI.... I know that made her YEAR!!! And it was worth every single second I spent practically stalking this guy! Lol!!! He really is an amazing celebrity to his fans. I don't know that he would ever read this but the joy that I saw in the picture Kristi sent me today of Gabriella was priceless and the reaction that I got from Kristi when she saw that tweet from him was AWESOME!! I can't thank him enough for that! Its the little things... its the things that take our minds off of reality and just let us have a little bit of FUN for a second that make life worth living!! That make us want to FIGHT!! That encourage us! So thank you Mr. Kellan Lutz for that encouragement!! God Bless You!

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/kellanlutz/status/14516670245

Gabriellas Zipper!!

Check out the latest from Kristi's Blog here:

Gabriellas Heart

Off Bypass!!!

Praise God! Gabriella is off bypass and her sparkly new heart is beating on its own!!! I'm so thankful to be able to be here with Kristi and Paul and share in this awesome journey!!! Continue to follow kristis blog: www.gabriellasheart.com

GABRIELLA IS GETTING HER NEW HEART!!!!

Kristi got the call this morning from Loma Linda that they had a heart and they were immediately on their way!!! She is all checked in and just waiting!! Will update more later!!
WWW.gabriellasheart.com

Saving Lives

Please take the time to jump over to my best friend Kristi's blog Gabriella's Heart to read this awesome post about Children and Organ Donation. As you know her 5 year old Daughter Gabriella is waiting for a heart transplant. This is something that is so so important to really think about if you are a parent! April was National Donate Life month and its NEVER too late to register!!!

Making the organ donation decision for a child

Whoa... Spring!? Already!?

Geeeeez!!! Is it Spring already!?!? Where is 2010 going? Cydney tracked off in March for the last time of year round school. Her school will be switching to traditional for the 2010/2011 school year so that will be an interesting transition as Lilly starts kindergarten. We have been super busy as usual! Here are some recent pics of the kids riding their bikes

We took advantage of Cydney being off track and headed down to So.CA to get one more use out of our annual passes at Disneyland before they expire on 4/1. Bella didn't get to make this journey with us as she is at a very "trying" age lol! Missa and Nic tagged along for a few days and little did she know but Nic (with a little help from the Crain clan) was able to pop the big question literally while riding Tower of Terror!! We are all SOO excited for them and can't wait for their big day probably in the fall of 2010! We also hit up Universal Studio's as something different and the girls really enjoyed that! Kristi and Gabriella were also able to meet up with us for a couple days as they are staying in Anaheim for a few days while their transport jet is down in case they get "the call". That was great to catch up even though it wasn't nearly enough time!! The girls (big and small!) had a great time catching up!!

Click on the Box below to View the Pictures from our Trip!

Disneyland3/10

Update on Gabriella

Its been a while since I've posted an update on Gabriella and I apologize for that!!! I hope that you have been keeping up with Kristi's blog at Gabriellasheart.com! Gabriella got a cold and was diagnosed with Pneumonia today! She needs some special prayers!! Please continue to remember her daily and read the latest here:

Gabriellas Heart

More that we take for granted....

Something was brought to my attention today that I wanted to clear up. In my previous entry I stated "Bestie and family have just moved out of their house and for lack of a better word are "homeless". They are basically living out of the hospital and Ronald McDonald House right now." I wanted to make sure that I didn't give anyone the wrong impression. Kristi and family DO have a place to stay. If you have been keeping up with their story and Kristi's blog.. you know that a plan has been in place for a little while now for them to move in with her mom while they wait to get "The" call from Loma Linda that they have received a heart for PrincessG. So YES They do have a place to live.

I was going to go back into my blog and change the way I wrote it... but I thought it was a good opportunity for me to write about more that we take for granted as my title states. The reason that I wrote "for lack of a better word are "homeless" is because.... essentially... That IS true. This is something that I have been watching my Bestie struggle with for the past few weeks. Quite suddenly her and her husband were faced with a decision on what was best to do for their family. What was Healthiest for BOTH of their Children. Not only for Gabriella but for PJ. Whether it was better to pack up and drag their entire family to Southern CA ... to a place where they know NO one so they can be REALLY close to the hospital.... Or STAY where they are comfortable... familiar and with their family. Stay where it is the healthiest for their children emotionally and contract out a medical transport for when they get the call.

They chose the later.. but that involved some heavy preparation as well. Very quickly they basically sold their entire "Home". They had to decide what was REALLY important in their life and what was REALLY a "necessity" and SELL the rest. Get rid of it! Couches.. Tv's... STUFF. Material things... How many of us would be willing to do that? How many of us would be willing to give up our STUFF?? Now I have had to live with "Parents" before. We lived with Chris' parents for almost 2 years when his dad was ill. While we were there we brought alot of our own stuff... But alot of it went into storage. Even when you have your own stuff it still isn't YOUR "home"! I remember what it was like to MISS MY stuff!!! I couldn't WAIT to get it out of storage. Paul and Kristi didn't just do that.... they purged. I cannot tell you how PROUD I am of them that they have made these sacrifices for their daughter. I KNOW it could not have been easy. Now by no means am I saying that it is "stuff" that makes a house a home.... but it is still HARD to have to make that sacrifice!

So Like I said before.... How much do we take for granted?!

Do we take our children for granted? Do we take their amazing little voices for granted?? Do we take our houses for granted?? I KNOW That I do!! I complain ALLL the time about where I live! JUST today I spent plenty of time complaining. We live on a BUSY BUSY road that they are widening to 4 lanes- CURRENTLY. Today the entire house was shaking.... and they have made it where we can't turn left out of our drive way... we have to go down to the next light and make a u-turn... incredibly annoying. It is an old house and things are constantly falling apart. The widows are single pane... the insulation sucks.... I could go on... But I won't... because you know what?? It is a place to live... and it is cozy and we have made it a HOME. We have made it ours with our Red Paint and our Vintage Mickey Posters!! It is a HOME with our Pencil Marks on the door frame of the office where our daughters have grown the past 3 years that we have lived here. It is a HOME where there are holes in the carpet from where Callie chewed when she was a puppy. For all those things I have learned to be GRATEFUL for. And I have also learned that there is so much that we hold onto that we don't NEED. I was also inspired to PURGE! I'm having a Garage sale on the 10th and getting rid of stuff that we don't need!!

So after talking to both Kristi and Paul today I know that I did not offend them in any way by how I worded what I did.... because essentially they DO feel "homeless". I pray that they can make a "home" out of wherever they are laying their head at night because they have each other. :) I know these next few weeks are going to be SO SO SO hard on them.... Keep Praying!!!

http://www.gabriellasheart.com/

MORE about Life and how we value it...

I wrote back in May about "Life and how we value it"... and as I sit here in my dark living room at 2:17a.m. suffering from insomnia... I thought it might be a good time to continue my thoughts on this. As I mentioned before my Bestie's little girl, Gabriella had a stroke on Friday. So much has happened to this poor fragile little 4.5 year old little girls body since then. She cannot speak. She cannot move her "lazy" right arm. She went from living with a very scary heart condition that required a heart transplant... which in and of itself was terrifying... to being contained to a hospital bed... her only form of communication with her Mommy and Daddy a nod of the head and a simple expression.

I cannot even begin to explain how this event has affected me. It breaks my heart into a million pieces by all the different "roles" that I play in peoples lives. Friend, Wife, Daughter and most important Mother.

It literally ACHES my heart that I cannot be with my Bestie right now. I myself am recovering from a Tonsillectomy 2 weeks ago yesterday. I literally cannot go. Doctors orders. All I want to do is BE there for her. I want to be the shoulder for her to cry on. I want to be the ear for her to vent to. I want to be the hand for her to hold when she needs one. I have hated the 750 mile difference many other times before... but I would definitely have to say that this put the cherry on top. Besides the fact that I'm still healing, Bestie and family have just moved out of their house and for lack of a better word are "homeless". They are basically living out of the hospital and Ronald McDonald House right now. Even if I were to go, I am left w/ no one to stay with. I cannot afford a hotel. Afford... Oh yeah... then there's that... I can't really afford the plane ticket either! And if those weren't enough reason's I have Bella... I couldn't really take her... and I couldn't really leave her at home either! Chris can't watch her and work... and I can't take her and sit at a hospital. So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I think the way that this has affected me the most is my role as a mother. I HATE HATE HATE that is took something this AWFUL happening to Gabriella for my eyes to be opened the way they have been.... But I am so thankful for her sacrifice.

How many times have you been tired, or just not wanting to "deal" with your kids or whatever. How many times have you brushed your kids off? "Go play in your room... " "Be quiet already!" "Stop Whining!" Etc etc.. You all know what I'm talking about. Now this isn't exactly a BAD thing. We all get worn out etc. Sometimes we need "ME" time. I get that. But something just HIT me Sunday as Chris and I were laying in bed trying to "rest" for our usual "Sunday afternoon nap". Lilly came in wanting something. I don't even remember what it was anymore. She sounded somewhat whiny and our reaction to her was not that pleasant because we just wanted to rest. We were tired. And something just came over me about how much we as parents take for GRANTED!! What was SOOOO important about our NAP that we couldn't Help Lilly right then? How SELFISH was that?! How many times do we miss out on blessings and opportunities with our children? All I could think about at that moment was how much Paul and Kristi would give ANYTHING to hear Gabriella's voice again..... to hear Gabriella WHINE again.

Since then I have made it my vow to not take my girls for granted anymore. I have 3 beautiful, amazing, HEALTHY girls that I don't deserve. There is nothing that is any different about Chris and I from Paul and Kristi. There is NO reason why we shouldn't be the ones sitting by a hospital bed tonight. There is no reason why a month from now something couldn't happen where we COULD be those people!! We need to take EVERY MOMENT as a GIFT from God and CHERISH it. Every laugh, every Giggle, Every Scream, every Cry, every WHINE! Because we may not always have it! We need to be thankful for it because you know what?? If your child is whining.... It probably means they are healthy enough to whine. Does it mean they should get a free pass for everything? Absolutely not! God has still called us to be PARENTS and raise our children right. But I think that this can be a form of encouragement for those times when things seem to get overwhelming.... Be thankful. Love your babies.... Hug them, Kiss them, ENJOY every second that God has blessed you with. Realize that time is precious! Don't waste the time that you have!! Make Memories!

I'm trying to take into account my own words as it is now 2:56 a.m. and Bella has woken up twice already crying. I'm pretty sure that she is teething again poor baby. :( I have taken 2 breaks from writing this to rock her. I love rocking her. It is probably one of my favorite things to do. :) I think I have helped cure my insomnia for tonight. Take to heart what I have said... Think about it and Pray about it! Don't waste your time here on this earth. Make it count!

Please read the latest on Gabriella's progress at http://www.gabriellasheart.com/. She had a tiring but great day today. Praise God for little improvements! The Power of Prayer is AMAZING!!!!!

Thank you all SO much for your support!

Can you believe it?! I actually used this blog for what its supposed to be FOR.... to BLOG! lol

Goodnight for a few hours at least!

Please PRAY for Gabriella

Today my Bestie's little girl Gabriella had a stroke. As I have mentioned before... she is already in need of a heart transplant. She collapsed this morning and had to be air evac'd to Phoenix Children's Hospital. She has a large blood clot in the left side of her brain is causing her to loose her speech and also unable to move the right side of her body. She is in ICU as they are treating the blood clot to try and get it to break up.... THIS is our special prayer request right now! That is does this QUICKLY!! PLEASE PLEASE pass this on and pray for Princess G and her family.

You can Continue to Follow her story and updates here: http://www.gabriellasheart.com/

PLEASE PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life..... and how we value it!

I haven't had much time or energy really to blog lately. Part of it is having 3 kids, one of which is a High Maintenance 6 month old. Part of it is lack of energy or interest. Part of it is just laziness or really anything creative to blog about.

I know alot of you have been following the story of Bestie's little girl (Princess G) who has been diagnosed with a Congenitive Heart Defect that ultimately has led to the need for a heart transplant. There are so many emotions in this....

Bestie and I met just about 5 years ago... and when I say "met" yes I mean we met in an online community (baby center). We were both pregnant and posted on a message board for women that were pregnant with January 2005 babies. Eventually we broke off from this board. We started Im'ing, emailing, texting, and calling. The more we got to know each other the more we just hit it off. It felt like we had known each other our whole lives. We learned that we were only 2 weeks apart and had so many similarities that we were certain we were sisters separated at birth.

Through the past 5 years we have met up several times/year with our families. We have been there for each other through some of life's greatest ups/downs. The happiness of adding to our families through birth and the sadness of tragedies and deaths. We have seen each other at our best and our worst. Including the messiest my house has ever been! lol We even have matching tattoo's on our left foot. Two flowers to represent US and on our feet to represent the distance between us.

Throughout this time we have watched our children become "Besties" as well. The very first time that I flew to see her in Arizona, Our girls were 9 months old and they saw each other from their strollers and immediately held hands. :) Our girls.... Our January 05' babies are what brought us together. THEY are what started this friendship between Bestie and I .

I can't help but think of that when I look at Sweet Princess G now facing this huge trial.... and not really even knowing it. She is THREE days older than my Moo. My heart literally aches for my Bestie and the pain, fear and numerous inexplicable feelings she must be feeling. I feel sooooo helpless. I wish SO bad that I could take this away for her, and I HATE that I can't.

Last weekend in my feeling of "helplessness" we packed up the family and drove the 12 hours to Arizona so that we could attend a Spaghetti Fundraiser for Princess G. It was not NEAR as bad as I thought it would be. Wifey and her BF Nic came with us and we all switched off driving. Baby Girl was AMAZING in the car! We got to spend some awesome time with Bestie's family and I am just absolutely BLOWN away by the generosity of people.

The dinner was held at a hall in Chandler, AZ. It seated maybe 400 and there were much more than that, that showed up! There was a LINE out the door!! It was just literally amazing and I was speechless by it. They had a silent auction with items that people had so willingly donated and they were sold for awesome amounts. I was even the proud winner of a really cute diaper bag w/ lots of cool stuff in it! Several news channels came out to cover the event as well! The turnout was just AMAZING and I was SO SO SO glad that we were able to attend!!

The one thing that I came away with after this weekend is how humble Bestie and her family are. They did not ask for ANY of the help they have been receiving. Family and Friends basically pressured them to setup savings accounts for G etc. It has been ALL other people that have organized these awesome events. The Vega Family hasn't ASKED for ANY of it. The entire time Bestie has been SO grateful asking me how she is ever going to repay all these people. To me this just shows how God blesses amidst trials and he also blesses for how his children handle the trials that are thrown their way. I am so proud of them and glad to call them my friends!

Through all this I have really been thinking about life and how we value it. SO many of the things I thought before have changed. I registered today with my state to become an organ donor. It was never something I gave much thought about before but NOW in light of these recent events I feel that this is something that is oh so very important. I never liked the idea of my body being cut open after I died etc. But the more I have been thinking and praying about this.... I am a saved child of God. The moment that I pass away my body will be exactly that... just a BODY. A Shell. I will immediately be in Heaven with my savior, And If something in my body can be used to save anothers life..... I am ALL for that. So that is why I chose to register to become an organ donor today. I would encourage you to pray about it as well! Here is a website that will help you get started if it is something you are interested in: DONATE.

Please continue to pray for Princess G and Bestie and her family. This is going to be a long road ahead and they will need all the support they can get!!

You can keep up with their story here:

www.GabriellasHeart.com

I am also adding a tab on my blog where you can donate to the family if you choose to do so!

Here are some of the news stories that have been done on the family and Princess G... Watching these makes it seem so surreal:

Channel 12 news broadcast

Channel 5 news broadcast

Channel 3 news broadcast

Thanks for looking!