Post by Jackie on May 5, 2011 15:15:23 GMT -5
I want to share this beautiful post made by my daughter Katie in response to their trip to NYC with one of Marnie's patients...I am so proud of her and she makes very good points.
A Little Bit of Fabulous!
I am guilty of not living my life to the fullest. I get bogged down with paying bills, worrying about the laundry, getting overwhelmed with all the events on our calendar, stressing about a messy house... like most people. After spending a week in NYC w...ith my sister, Kailee, her Mom Kari, and Hayden I have come to realize that I am missing out on the beauty of the people in my life and the adventures that are still left to experience. When Marnie mentioned that Kailee wanted a New York adventure like we had with Hayden last summer I will admit that my first thought was money. NYC is not cheap! Even though last summer was a blast I didn't think we needed another trip so soon. But when Kailee's cancer returned and she needed two weeks of radiation in NYC the pieces of the puzzle all started to fall into place. I called Hayden's school and was able to get her out of class for three days to go be with Kailee. The good thing about radiation is that she literally had to be at the hospital for only about 5 minutes each morning - and then felt fine the rest of the day. We'd be able to get her treatments and then enjoy the city together. Marnie put the trip in motion and sent us tickets so we could join them. Marnie, who will forever be referred to as "Marnie Poppins" is truly an amazing person with the hugest heart. She got us an amazing deal at a new hotel in NYC (The Jewel - which is such a fitting name for our entire adventure.) So we packed our bags and headed out to the big city for an adventure that was truly life-changing. From lunch on the grass in Central Park to standing on the stage at the Broadhurst theatre and meeting the cast of Baby It's You - we did it all! It's hard to sum up just how fabulous this experince was for me and Hayden. I learned the following: a smile can melt my heart, lip gloss and a little bit of glitter before radiation is necessary, I should be thankful for the hair I have - even when the curls annoy me, rocks are meant to be climbed, waving at people who stare will make them smile back at you, I am lucky my children are healthy, sleepovers with giggling girls make me sleep better, it's all about the fashion, high heels ARE appropriate in NYC, we all need a little bit of caffeine, pizza parties on the floor of a hotel makes the pizza even better, the Ronald McDonald house is a special place, you should always pick your pedi-cab by checking out the butt of the guy driving it before get on since that is what you will be looking at, a safety pin is all it takes to make a dress perfect, glittery eye liner helps accentuate the eyes when one does not have eyelashes, the "power of the head" can get you amazing things, being in charge of the room key can be important to a 9 year old, life size spider man decals in a window can be frightening when you turn off the light in your hotel room, late night makeovers and dance lessons can make you smile, and cancer SUCKS - but making lemonade from the lemons makes life oh so sweet. By: Katie Dodson Gilman
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A Little Bit of Fabulous!
I am guilty of not living my life to the fullest. I get bogged down with paying bills, worrying about the laundry, getting overwhelmed with all the events on our calendar, stressing about a messy house... like most people. After spending a week in NYC w...ith my sister, Kailee, her Mom Kari, and Hayden I have come to realize that I am missing out on the beauty of the people in my life and the adventures that are still left to experience. When Marnie mentioned that Kailee wanted a New York adventure like we had with Hayden last summer I will admit that my first thought was money. NYC is not cheap! Even though last summer was a blast I didn't think we needed another trip so soon. But when Kailee's cancer returned and she needed two weeks of radiation in NYC the pieces of the puzzle all started to fall into place. I called Hayden's school and was able to get her out of class for three days to go be with Kailee. The good thing about radiation is that she literally had to be at the hospital for only about 5 minutes each morning - and then felt fine the rest of the day. We'd be able to get her treatments and then enjoy the city together. Marnie put the trip in motion and sent us tickets so we could join them. Marnie, who will forever be referred to as "Marnie Poppins" is truly an amazing person with the hugest heart. She got us an amazing deal at a new hotel in NYC (The Jewel - which is such a fitting name for our entire adventure.) So we packed our bags and headed out to the big city for an adventure that was truly life-changing. From lunch on the grass in Central Park to standing on the stage at the Broadhurst theatre and meeting the cast of Baby It's You - we did it all! It's hard to sum up just how fabulous this experince was for me and Hayden. I learned the following: a smile can melt my heart, lip gloss and a little bit of glitter before radiation is necessary, I should be thankful for the hair I have - even when the curls annoy me, rocks are meant to be climbed, waving at people who stare will make them smile back at you, I am lucky my children are healthy, sleepovers with giggling girls make me sleep better, it's all about the fashion, high heels ARE appropriate in NYC, we all need a little bit of caffeine, pizza parties on the floor of a hotel makes the pizza even better, the Ronald McDonald house is a special place, you should always pick your pedi-cab by checking out the butt of the guy driving it before get on since that is what you will be looking at, a safety pin is all it takes to make a dress perfect, glittery eye liner helps accentuate the eyes when one does not have eyelashes, the "power of the head" can get you amazing things, being in charge of the room key can be important to a 9 year old, life size spider man decals in a window can be frightening when you turn off the light in your hotel room, late night makeovers and dance lessons can make you smile, and cancer SUCKS - but making lemonade from the lemons makes life oh so sweet. By: Katie Dodson Gilman
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