Friday, July 29, 2016

Three for Three

Hello! It's been a very busy two weeks, but we're back and we're good and we're excited to share what we've been up to! First off, and most important, today is July 29th, so Georgia is now NINE months away from Official Cancer-Freedom! We've been talking over ways to commemorate the Big Day, and whatever we decide, I can promise it will be as special as she is - so stay tuned!

When we last left off, we had just picked up Georgia from her writing conference at Sewanee. She had a fantastic experience, made many new friends, and spent quality time with her professor discussing her future as a writer and her options for college. The next 18 months or so will be full of conversations like that, and we're so proud of her for taking the initiative to ask questions and get advice from those in the know. Our girl is growing up, dreaming big, and setting her sights on a bright future - and we're thrilled to be swimming in her wake!

As I also mentioned in our last post, we picked up an extra passenger on our way to pick up Georgia from Sewanee. The story goes that after a pit stop at the Brinkley, Arkansas McDonald's, I scooped up this lump of sugar in the parking lot. She was dirty, dehydrated, and very upset with her situation, and her mama was nowhere to be found. The vet in Memphis checked her out, cleaned her up, and pronounced her "healthy and sooo cute." She was five weeks old and tipped the scales at a scrappy 0.2 lbs - yes, 2/10 of a pound. The minute I saw her, I knew she was born to be a Texas girl, and Clementine Brinkley has made herself very comfortable with us ever since.



In fundraising news, and the main reason we've been a bit quiet around ye ol' blog here, we just completed our third event in as many weeks, and we are a bit heady from the success! First up was my (ahem) high school reunion. The organizer is a dear friend, and he agreed to let me add a fundraising component to the weekend. Long story short, with a percentage of ticket sales, a silent auction, and four awesome shavees (which included an on-the-spot decision by a friend's fiance to join her brave betrothed in going bald - say that three times fast), we raised over $5600 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation! Everyone was so generous and engaged, it was quite a weekend for all - both in furthering our mission to end childhood cancer and in reconnecting with dear friends. So thank you, thank you, Class of '86! 

My planning partner and soul brother, Greg

Next was the main event - the 46 Mommas Lucky 7 Shave! Despite the HEAT, Mommas came in from Hawaii to Rhode Island and everywhere in between, and we definitely had an event worthy of the bright lights of Las Vegas. I'll follow up with more details and pictures, but suffice to say, we are now $500 away from $1.9 Million and on our way to $2 Million! Here's a Good Morning, Las Vegas interview I did (on my birthday!) with some fellow Mommas to promote the event as well as a follow-up article on TODAY.com:



Finally, last night was our third event, the Austin Attorneys in the Arts show. I participated as a performer last year, and we were back again as the charity of choice for this year's show. I shared a short video about the 46 Mommas and St. Baldrick's and then I shared a bit about Georgia's journey and our involvement as a family in advocacy and fundraising. There was an audible gasp when I called Georgia up on stage, and it was a special moment for the audience to see her there, healthy and happy. She answered lots of questions and helped sell some of her original art, which made me very proud of her, once again. We raised about $1000 and are looking forward to our next event in September!

For now, though, we're slowing down for the last full week of the girls' summer at home. Ivy just finished up three weeks of her beloved creative writing camp, and on Friday, we're headed to Hunt, Texas to drop them both off for two weeks of fun and adventure at Camp Mystic! It's been such a great summer so far, and we plan to soak up every minute that's left.

We'll leave you with another, very fitting, moment to remember today - the day this whole crazy head-shaving thing started for us. Here's when the Peachy Keens first decided to Be Brave and Go Bald! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Welcome Home!

We picked up Georgia from Sewanee yesterday!


And we picked up an extra passenger on our way there ...

Introducing Clementine Brinkley Moore!

Stay tuned for more about both of those sweet girls, but for now, we've got bags to unpack, new family members to assimilate, and quick reminders to give: 


Two weeks until my birthday and the 46 Mommas Lucky 7 Shave in Las Vegas! Please consider a donation on my head in support of the St. Baldrick's Foundation and childhood cancer research! Thank you!!!

Friday, July 1, 2016

'Tis the Gift

It's July?! This summer is flying by! Georgia is already one week into her writing conference, and if the saying "no news is good news" holds true, she is having a great time! Actually, we have heard from her in a few texts and a couple of phone calls, but she is so very busy writing - and watching movies, singing the Hamilton cast album, and playing wild games of Spoons - that we may just have to wait until we pick her up to get the full report. I did get this picture from the conference Facebook page, though. The first night, they were challenged to write a poem inspired by an old photograph, and you can see our young poet at work in the second picture. : )


Wednesday was the 29th, so Georgia is now 10 months away from Official Cancer-Freedom! To mark the occasion, we're looking back on this moment to remember, Georgia Day at our beloved Parkside Community School. We are still so grateful for the overwhelming love Georgia and Ivy - and all of us - received from the community, and I know that support helped us navigate Georgia's treatment in countless ways. 


And seeing as it IS July, I'll just go ahead and remind everyone that:


In 22 days. And I'm shaving in 23. Please help grant my fondest birthday wish and click HERE to donate to the St. Baldrick's Foundation and childhood cancer research. Thank you, and Happy July!