What a day...

Today has been full of cleaning, packing, overcoming a touch of food poisoning (thanks Olive Garden), and saying good-byes to friends and neighbors.

My sweet friends put together a Well-Wishing/Dessert Fundraiser for me tonight.  We had about 150 people come to the park to eat treats, purchase desserts, donate money and send me off with lots of love and good wishes.  When I first walked up to the event, I was overcome with emotion as I saw how much work these fabulous ladies put in for my benefit.  Pies, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, lemon bars, cereal treats, and more filled the tables of the outdoor pavilion--if it is made of sugar, it was there!   It all looked delicious.

Thanks to their efforts and the kindness of those who donated, we raised close to $3,000.  Isn't that just amazing?  You all rock!!  But the best part was being able to see my friends and feel of their love and support.  So many kind words of encouragement--I wish I could record them and hear them play in a continuous loop in my head all the way to North Carolina.

Yesterday I was interviewed by a reporter from our local paper.  She was so nice and even submitted the story quickly so it could be published in today's paper.  What a tender mercy that was.  A few people mentioned that's how they heard about the party.  One gentleman, who had a sister with CF, stopped by the park to wish me well because of the article.  I also had a sweet phone call this morning from a lady who had a niece and a nephew with CF and she wanted me to know that she was praying for me.  The world is full of kind hearted people.

Link to the article in the Coloradoan: 

So tomorrow morning we hit the road in our loaded Escape...Duke or Bust!