So, I just checked the date when I wrote my first blog post (about being pregnant with sick twins) and it was September 8th, 2010. Very odd that my last post will be September 6th, 2012. A lot sure has happened in 2 years.
Has your life changed?
Oh boy. I hate this question and the truth is that it is complicated. Trying to explain how something like this changes you is like trying to explain to your friends that don’t have children what it is like to be a parent. You can’t. It is impossible.
Here’s what I can say:
- Whomever said, “Being a parent is the toughest job in the world,” wasn’t teasing.
- Neither was the person who said, “Money can’t buy happiness.”
- It takes four full-days at the end of the earth to entertain the idea of missing my kids.
- Announcing number 3 makes others think you are a bad mom.
- No matter how much poverty I surround myself with, I will still beeline to Starbucks the first chance I get. I can’t quit that shit!
- You cannot get malaria from a goat.
- More often than not, donations go to the people behind the cause, not the cause itself.
- When you take your family and friend’s money, there comes a strong sense of responsibility it is making a difference in the world.
- Everyone’s bucket list should include, “Provide running water to people who would otherwise never have it.”
- Even orphans in Haiti think that Eric is perfect.
- My best friend is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.
- You can give 100 orphan babies a good life in their own country for the price of adopting one. Which is a smarter decision when you already have 4 kids.
- You have to teach your children to be kind and grateful. Just like you have to teach them to read and ride their bike.
- You can have your heart-broken by something other than a boy.
I know it doesn’t make sense to a lot of you why I would end my blog at the peak of its popularity, but a good friend of mine once told me that sometimes you have to know when to shut-up. I believe this to be one of those times.
Before I say goodbye to my budding career as a blogger, I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for following along the past 9 months (or 2 years if you were on the old blog). Without you guys, I would have come up with a million excuses why I didn’t have enough time to follow through on the trip. I would have become too busy. And I would have missed out on an amazing experience.
I also need to thank all of the local businesses who have helped me along the way. Not a single one of you said no, and I am a proud resident of the Fox Cities and Sister Bay because of your kindness. I owe an extra-large kind heart award to our fabulous realtor in Door County, MaryKay Shumway. She has been one of the most helpful and supportive friends a person can ask for, and if you ever need a realtor up there you can look her up….here.
Going to a country like Haiti can overwhelm you. There are so many problems. It is easy to think what’s the point? Easy to say, they don’t know the difference. Easy to walk away. Grateful to be an American. Glad it isn’t your problem.
It is difficult to come up with solutions and almost impossible to say that you were a part of something that truly made a lasting difference. The reality is, everyone who has donated to Haiti: Together We Move has earned the right to say they’ve done the impossible. Even the smallest of donations will remain part of the fund forever. Forever giving children the opportunity to run and play that would otherwise have no other options.
So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has taken the time out of their busy lives to attend an event. And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has donated. Not many people can say they have the type of friends, family, and blog readers I do, and absolutely none of this was possible without all of you.
What’s next?
First, I am going to take a freaking nap. I am tired. “Fall asleep in the middle of a room on the floor with children on top of you” tired.
My sitter took this photo and texted it to me. It sort of frightened me. But it also cracked me up.
Then I am going to pick up my house for the first time in a really long time.
And after that, I am going to finish raising the money. When I first started the blog, I truly believed it would be the best way to do it. I never intended it to be a marketing tool that could help me understand when people give, why they give, what they give to, etc. But it kind of turned into that and it brought me full circle back to one of the first ideas I had in December 2011. Why does that always happen? You pick out a sofa. You don’t want to buy the first one you like. You look at 100 other sofas. Then you buy the first sofa you looked at. Same concept, different storyline.
My mind has been reeling non-stop since I have gotten home, trying to pinpoint the best way to help people who most of you will never get the opportunity to meet (this creates a very large challenge). So I did what most logical people do and I asked my fortune cookie to give me an answer. It said:
My photography is clearly improving. It says, “You have executive ability.”
Which is really just a nice way of saying, you are bossy and you have your own way of doing things. So you should.
I would tell you what I am planning, but that wouldn’t be very smart. What if someone steals it and uses it for evil instead of good?
So orevwa, friends! Thank you again for everything! I will miss you!
P.S. The blog will remain up permanently to give everyone a chance to get their donations in. No apologies or excuses on the length of time it takes are ever necessary. It took us over 2 years to get our shit together and decide we wanted to help Terry and Jeannie, so you are definitely in a judgement free zone. As always.
So for the last and final time:
If you liked this post, give me 5 (bucks)! Don’t forget to forward your receipt to deassifyoself@yahoo.com or I won’t know you donated!
Dea$$ify Yo Self 