Me with Sarah

Caution: This could take a while!!!!!

About a month ago I was getting ready to preorder my copy of Going Rogue when I discovered Sarah Palin was going to do a book tour in cities that are more traditionally Republican. She wasn't going to big cities like New York and LA, but instead "smaller" cities. I knew immediately she would have to be coming to the South and B'ham is "small" compared to LA. I was thrilled when I found out the info and and that it was around Thanksgiving break. I later learned that I would possibly have to camp out the night before. Also it became clear that security would be tight and getting extra face time or personalization with the former Governor would be even more difficult. I knew I had to have a plan.

My parents and I left for B'ham on Sunday morning at 5:30. We arrived just before 8 and the line already had a couple of hundred people...my dad was utterly shocked. We would find out that some people had been there since Saturday afternoon. We got settled and met all the folks we would spend the next few hours with, "September" the lady who was catching up on her daily Bible reading, "Baton Rouge" who dove up for the event and her friend from B'ham and even the young couple behind me. As the hours rolled on over a thousand people showed up. Finally at 12 p.m. they gave us our tickets. I got spots 302-04. I was pleased since it was out of a 1000. There wee lots of unhappy people that day, but chewing out security guards got them nowhere.

These wee the security and BAM people that I would become familiar with over the next couple of days!!!

I had already planned that I would wear one of my class shirts with the Special Olympics symbol, so I might draw some attention. I also had my kids pics tucked away in my bag, so that I could tape them in the books before I got them signed. I had looked on the web to see how long people were getting to spend time with her and if they were allowed to give her stuff, so I did break down and write a card. I had been wanting to tell her how I felt about Trig, what I did for a living and what a fan I was. My aunt Pam was going to join me On Monday for the event, but we still had one more ticket since my cousin Bailey couldn't get out of school in time to make the deadline to arrive to line up. Instead a friend of my aunt's, Phyllis, went with us. She was almost as excited as I was about the evening. We arrived at Brookwood around 2:30 and there were already hundreds of people hanging out in the food court waiting to get in line. Around 3 they started calling groups of people to line up. We did not get to line up until 4:30. The crowd was lively as we wound our way outside the store. They had music playing and everyone was all a buzz. We had to go through a series of people where we had to show receipts and be given instructions: no cameras, phones or other memorabilia. When we got to the door I talked with a guy about the signature page so I would know where to tape my pics once I got inside. I thought I was though security , so I taped them in, but I actually had a couple more people (who didn't notice them). We handed over our bags, phones, cameras, and even my sweatshirt tied abound my waist. The publisher's people then explained about how we would not get our same books back. My heart stopped, I approached her to explain my pics being taped. She was totally cool with it and told me she would give them to the publisher. Things got better until I realized he was only holding one book. I told him I had another one. Sarah Palin's parents began looking through the books (they had realized the pics wee children with Down syndrome). About the time we gave up Sarah herself opened the book and began asking who they belonged to. I tried not to ruin the experience of others in front of me but I began saying they were mine.

Dialog of the following event:

Sarah: Whose pictures are these? Lacey:

Me, I work with children with Down syndrome

Sarah's parents introduce themselves and say thank you for what you do, Piper begins looking at the pictures

Sarah: Wow, that's great! Thank you so much for what you do? What's your name?

Me: Lacey, Lacey Sewell (I know too James bond)

Sarah: Did you get to see Trig?

Me: No, I am very honored to meet you and I am a big fan, but I REALLY did hope to meet him.

Sarah: Jason, Jason will you come let the lady in the blue in the back with Aunt Katie to meet Trig. She woks with special needs children.

Me; Oh wait, can I give you this card.

Sarah: most definitely

I begin trying to go with "Jason" when the BAM people try to escort me out of the signing area.

Sarah: No, she is going in back with Jason. Go back this way.

Jason: So you work with special needs children, that's impressive. What's your name:

Me: Lacey. So Jason can I get camera?

Jason laughs

Me; I guess that is a no!

Jason: Aunt Katie this is Lacey, she works with children with special needs.

Aunt Katie: That's wonderful! Thank you so much. This is Trig. (He is in his striped onezy he had been wearing on Greta that day.

Me: Hey there Buddy, you are adorable. Trig reaches and sticks his tongue out. He comes over to me. I start tickling him and he is still sticking his tongue out laughing. I start making faces at him, so he throws his hands in the air and laughs. He goes back to aunt Katie. I blew him a kiss. He sticks his hand up to his mouth. I blow at his face and he blows back.

I say thanks and goodbye. I am in shock. I walk back through the signing area. I wasn't going to speak to Govenor Palin again, but we made eye contact. I said thank you and she said not thank you it was my pleasure.

I had totally forgotten about Pam and Phyllis, but reality happened and we were back outside the area and being ushered down the escalator. They take our wristbands off and it's over. I was on cloud nine. I could not believe it happened. I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep.

I am still keeping my fingers crossed that the Palin photographer did at least get my picture with Sarah and Piper. Sarah and her whole family were incredible. She is beautiful and very sincere. I thought I was a big fan, but now I am an even bigger fan. I am so thankful to all my friends who have been giving such wonderful feedback. I am especially thankful for Sam and Colby because without their pics I wouldn't have met Trig. I know for a fact that other than his family I am his biggest fan. I may not be able to have any pics of the event but I told someone I will always have the scene playing in my head.

Huckabee

While I was waiting in line Sunday to get my wristband to see Sarah Palin the BAM people gave me a number to see some guy named Mike Huckabee. Some of you may have heard of him.

Sarah was the top priority, but I will blog about her later. I will just say after a long morning we had lunch then headed back to Books a Million to find a spot to wait for Mike Huckabee. When they passed out our line numbers somehow I got 196 but my parents were 272-3, so we decided to just let my dad go through and my mom and I stood back to take pictures. My dad was more excited about it, so we thought he should go. The place was full, but nothing like it was going to be the next day. My mom and I were able to get a spot right near the signing area so we could get some good shots. I was right beside the area to get close ups. While we waited we met all kinds of people. It was neat to get to talk with people and hear their stories.

Once the line started it didn't take anytime for my dad to get his book signed. I can't at all tell what the signature says, but oh well at least we have some photos.

Warning!!!

There are some loooong posts below, but please take the time to read them. .I ended up not putting all my pictures on here, but I am going to give you some links to check out. If you are my facebook friend then hopefully I will get them up soon!! Also if you are interested in the 3 Day or participated in the 3 Day then you might enjoy checking out this website. www.ramonalisaphotography.com She has some awesome pictures that will give you perspective on the event. There are tons of YouTube videos, but the Fighting Falcons make an appearance on "Roxanne's Finish Line," We are the ones in the gray shirts. Hope you enjoy!!!

The 3 Day!!!!

I hope this post turns out okay. There are so many things that I would like to put into this, but I honestly do not know how it will turn out. I would love to put in some video and lots of pictures. I am not sure if I will get all the tech stuff right. I also have to admit no matter how many pictures I show or how many great things I can say, you will never grasp how I feel about this experience. As we all talked about our weekend we all came to the conclusion that words can not describe it to people who did not attend. I definitely do not want to bore you, but i thought I would give a few highlights form each day. You may not care at all, but at least it gives me the chance to reminisce.

Thursday (Pre Walk day)
We all thought we were doing great that we left around lunch on Thursday, but we will soon learn that was not necessarily the case. We made good timing to Atlanta, so we moved onto Buford to enjoy dinner at Cracker Barrel. We took our time reflecting on the journey we had completed and the one we were about to begin. We get back in the car, we were on a high riding into Lake Lanier resorts, we get out cheer with folks..then it happens. We find out that it seems that the resort overbooked and our confirmed rooms, that they called about two weeks before to make sure we would be there, were now GONE! Thankfully Nicole let her "light" shine and "showed Linda the manager, Jesus." We camped out up in the front lobby and shared our story until we eventually got more rooms than originally booked and we had king sized beds....the best part, they were FREE!!!!! We all decided we might go back since it really was a pretty place.

Friday...Day One

We began with a little rain, but the sun started to rise as the opening ceremony began. The emotions ran high and we started to truly realize why we were walking. Most of our day was spent in Buford, GA. The first day seemed more like country roads, but it was a nice beginning. first lesson I learned was the snacks were good, porta potty not too bad, but the drinks were awful...in order to survive I must stop to find my favorite mixed berry PowerAde Zero. Right as lunchtime rolled around the rain began to pour. Second lesson learned..lunch was okay, but again in order to survive I must find a good lunch where they sell the one thing I had finally weaned myself off of.....Coke! Seriously though, the day was so much fun. Everyone as still trying to chat and get to know people. We got closer to Deluth, found my PowerAde, and closer to the bus top. Finally, we make t back "home" to a nice hot shower. Now one might think mobile showers seem odd, but after twenty miles you really do not even think about it. Dinner was wonderful!!! It was nice to sit down, eat, relax and have a few cups of coffee. I turned in early that night, but sleeping is not for those who are light sleepers. between the snoring and hair dryers I got little sleep. I want to point out that I am not complaining because I really was not tired. I was so thankful to be indoors at the North Atlanta Trade Center...I didn't care!

Saturday...Day Two

For those of us who can't sleep we all wait for breakfast to be served. Definitely the smart thing is to get up early and eat...no lines!! Our whole day is spent looping around Deluth, so we have our fair share of gas stations, clean bathroom stops and Wendy's for lunch. We begin to learn to not really stop at many pit stops because the lines are too long. Grab a free snack and find somewhere else to take care of business and get a drink. Also all your medical needs are found at CVS!!! The cheer stations were great for candy, snacks and people even had doughnuts. We loved that Whole Foods had fruit and water!! My mom and aunts even were walker stalkers!! They had a us tons of all our favorite drinks ad candy!! Saturday was a long day, but we still managed to have fun while we walked. We managed to get back to camp early. That was a a great advantage. No shower lines, no massage lines, no food lines!! I think I was more excited about getting to get my phone charged!!! Saturday night we really enjoyed the speakers and entertainment, but the highlight was the dance party. You would never believe that after forty miles everyone was up dancing the night away. Some people were worn out b/c the again snored the night away. I got up once to go to the bathroom and people were taking down their tents...seriously

Sunday...Day Three

Everyone is up early packing, deflating, taking down tents and sorting through all those Ziplocs!! We had decided not to get in too big of a hurry because we knew if we finished too early we would be at Turner Field for a long time. Our route today was downtown Atlanta. It was a cold start that morning, but we were all excited about the day. We made some interesting pit stops for our group that day. We managed to find our usual gas stations, but found a nice hotel, Mella Mushroom, Starbucks and the best was the open house near Georgia Tech. We did learn our townhouse pit stop was only $628,000! We had tons of cheerleaders that day. Of course they had more doughnut holes and candy! The end of journey was amazing! We all walked in together to the PARTY in Turner Field! We also had a blast cheering on all the other walkers. Walking arm in arm to the closing ceremony was such a moving experience, but the highlight was the shoe raising for the survivors. It was here that we learner we raised a little over $5 million dollars!!!!

We were so fortunate to have my mother and aunts to get our luggage for us. That really saved a lot of time. We were able to get in the cars and head home.

Post Walk

The recovery was not so bad. We were all thankful to complete the race and only have a few minor injuries among us. It was weird getting back to reality, but eventually we did. The hardest part was getting used to walking down the sidewalk and not having people yell and cheer for you!!

Thank You!!!

I could never had this experience if it was not for some of you! So many of you supported our fundraisers, participated in our events and bought whatever we sold. Also a lot of you provided so much support for us as we progressed in out journey. Like I said words could never express how thankful I am. I a also thankful for all the people involved in the event. We had an awesome crew, inspiring walker stalkers....especially the children and all the businesses who opened the doors to us as we walked. I am most grateful for the survivors who were some of our biggest inspirations. Our own special survivor Donna was definitely our inspiration!

The 3 Day is an indescribable experience. It has been very hard to keep thinking about it. I will never forget that weekend. I hope to make this a annual event for me. Always consider donating to this cause and if you can Stand for something and walk toward it!!!!

Impressions of a 3 Day

I came across this on the 3 Day message boards and I new people who have participated in the race would get a kick out of it, but I also thought some of you who might ever consider doing it might like it. It definitely depicts how a lot of people feel and some thoughts that I am sure everyone had I hope you all enjoy it!!

Impressions of a 3 day:

1st day

*smug…I’m so organized!
*Say what?
*Who?!!!
*Where do I go?
*Patti???!!!
*why am I doing this?
*I hate pink!
*Walking… yeah -This is easy!
* oh boy dinner is ready!
*voice of an angel! (Barbara)
*where is my toothbrush, Flashlight, underwear, geez All these plastic bags.
*cement floors, pink tents, porta potties, but ahhh… hot showers
*2 a.m. is someone crunching pretzels?
*4 a.m. is that a blow dryer???
*I’m not doing this next year!

2nd day

*dang I’m glad that little tiny mirror is foggy
*someone made the coffee for me!
*someone made breakfast for me!
*music, laughter, dancing, smiles
*dang, I sure don’t get this at home!
*this is easy
*Walking… yea- this is easy
*droves of cheering, smiling people thanking Me? Huh!?
*candy, popsicles, oh my gosh donut holes!!!
*just one more mile and mostly Down hill.
*Walk on. How hard can this be one foot in front of the other.
*ok, is that what a blister feels like?
*I have never in my life used a plastic hat cover!!
*I don’t even like pink!
*Are these adult women lining up for little smiley face stickers… and I am in the line???
*walk on… *This is not that hard!
*passing on your left.
*A race a race, I’m winning, I’m winning!
*ok, slow down it’s not a race
*The trees are sooo pretty… woops watch that manhole!
*Ok I need some music and some stickers!
*Stopping is a bad idea!
*Bend and stretch Reach for the trees There goes tamara There go my knees!
*Oh boy dinner is ready!
*is that ellen degeneres?
*amazing grace , amazing women!
*I think i know why I am doing this.
*remarkable strength!
*I like to move it move it move it.
*I can’t believe I’m dancing like this in front of people!
*there’s no place like… my pink tent. Ahhh sleep.
*I see pink people.
*I might do this next year!

3rd day

*they call me rip snort!!
*help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
*ok let me try these shoes.
*does Vaseline really help?
*oh boy breakfast is ready!
*I can do this.
*walk on
*was that a pink vw van…cool!
* why are these people following me!
*Where are my peeps?
* ladies with tears in their eyes and bald heads cheering me on?!
*moved beyond words
*I like pink!
*boobs, boobies, Tata’s, the girls, tits, mommaries, Puppies, headlights,
*you know that guy looks pretty good in a skirt!
*Ok this is kinda hard.
*just one more mile and mostly down hill!
*you say that one more time and I’m gonna take you down.
*moved beyond words!
*survivors!
*such strength!
*Loss
*gain
*admiration
*60 miles is nothing!!!
*I love pink.
*a cure?
*I know why I am doing this!
*I’m definitely doing this next year!

Day after a 3 day

*Ok, why isn’t the coffee ready, and where’s my breakfast?
*who used all the hot water!!!
*Umm, excuse me… I entered the room, please stand and cheer!
* hey! Where’s my candy?
*I’m sorry please don’t disturb me I take breaks every hour!
*Lunch, people!
*why are the colors so dull in here!
*Where have all the flowers gone?
*Where’s my ride?
*What do ya mean dinner’s not ready?
Can't wait til next year!

Patti 08,09,10 Let's Hear It For THE GIRLS!!!!!

Getting Ready

The last few months were filled with training and fundraising for the 3 Day. My last fundraising post was about Pink Bunco. Not too long after that were the Wal Mart weekends. The first weekend only Jan and myself made it to Wal Mart. WE got up early loaded EVERYTHING form drinks, shirts, tables, signs and coolers. We get to WalMart set up and begin to eat breakfast when the bottom falls out. Needless to say we had to put everything back in the car and unload it again at school. We were drenched, but we got a good laugh about it. the next weekend we all took our turns sitting out in the blazing the sun, but we made more money that over a shorter period of time than anything else we did. Gotta love those Wal Mart shoppers!
Our next event was the yard sale. Now I will say I wasn't looking forward to this because I am not a fan of these events. We all met on a Friday to price, but little did we know our stuff took up the entire floor of our school auditorium. It was evident that we would not be doing any individual pricing. Next, we had to haul all this stuff to Juanita's. A few of us then began to put everything out until we all decided we were going to die of heat exhaustion. Once Saturday came we had a bright and early morning. I have to admit I never in my life have seen so much stuff. I wish I would have taken a picture. We could have clothed a small town with the clothing we had. We were fortunate to have so many people to donate so much stuff, but I would never thought it would have looked like this. We did make quite a bit of money but it was a lot of work. We barely made a dent in the stuff, so we decided to donate some to a local charity and then a man came to pick up the close to ship to Africa for a mission trip. I think we clothed a small village and they probably each had a new pair of shoes.
In July we began to train some. We had some interesting adventures on hikes at TVA, but I will admit they were fun! We really slowed down on the fundraising until school started back. We were getting so close we only had to sell more shirts and get some donations.
Training was always fun. Megan and I spent a lot of time training. We probably over trained. We also had some training walks. We walked in the heat and even the rain. We walked in neighborhoods, hiking trails, and even participated in some 5K's. I always enjoyed the walks because I feel like that is where I got to know my teammates more. Those were some of my favorite memories.

Okay so I have to mention more about the 5K's. WE participated in two 5K's. Several of us did the Power of Pink which was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. It was a great experience that made me want to get back into running. We walked most of the first one.
Next was the Shoals Christian Race. It rained that day so I was the only the team ember to compete, but I had friends there. I ran more of it because it was in my neighborhood, so I had trained there a lot. I also ran more because I was trying to avoid getting wet. I took home 2nd place in my age division that say...so what that there were only two of us!!! I am getting hooked though. I am ready to start back running.

Back to School

I love the beginning of a new school year!! I get excited about the possibilities that it can bring and even more excited about seeing my kids again. One positive of my job is I get to be with the same children for long periods of time. We did get one student this year, but I had worked with her at ESY. It was neat to get the chance to see her a little before school began. This made such a difference in getting ready to work with her. I again have the privilege of working alongside Susan. We did have one new face this year in Delta Dawn. Most of us already knew her, but she was new to the "hood." She may not think this job is her forte, but she does a great job and without her we would not have near as much fun!
We really did not expect a lot of change this year since we have had the kids for awhile, but unfortunately that hasn't been the case. This has ended up being a challenging year that in the end will teach us a lot of lessons. Most people have been surprised that I still would want to come to work everyday, but I honestly have still loved my job. Now some days I didn't like what was going on but I could never do anything else. I am fortunate to work with some wonderful people, so we can always make the best of any situation.
We have had a turn around lately and things are easing up, but it is only November and we have a lot of school left. We have also had some really great memories for the year. Just yesterday we had a great time jamming out to MJ and playing together on a beautiful fall day. I can only say that there is a time and a purpose to everything.

Been A While

Okay, so it has been quite a while...almost six months since I have posted. I wish I could say I was so busy I did not have time, but mainly just too lazy to take the time. I also rarely ever use my laptop since I can just use my iPod touch. I did get some kind of virus on my computer over the summer, so that is when I just gave up posting. I did finally take the time to clear up the virus, but truthfully since then I have been busy

I had a nice relaxing summer. I truly enjoyed teaching for the Extended School Year (ESY) program. I got to continue working with a few students and I also got to meet some wonderful new children. It was only a couple of days a week for one month, but it was a great experience. I hope I am fortunate enough to do it again.

I did not go anywhere on vacation, but instead I got some much needed rest at home. I filled my days with hanging out with some of my favorite boys...Grant, Benjamin, Sam and Eli. I truly enjoyed the week Grant and Benjamin spent at the house while Tracy did AMSTI. These guys are getting older so I know it will not be long until they aren't going to want to hang out with me as much. then there is Sam and Eli who are just getting old to have lots of fun. I loved the incident this summer with Sam at the playground...priceless.
I also spent some time fundraising and training with the Fighting Falcons , but I will get into that later. I guess IA m the weird one because I was glad when it came time to start back to school. I always love the beginning of a new school year!