Birthday Bash CJD Fundraiser in Memory of my Dad

Last Saturday was our Birthday Bash CJD Fundraiser in memory of my dad. It was one of the best and most amazing things that I have ever had a chance to be a part of. I have never felt so supported and loved and I am so grateful for those people who took the time out of their busy lives to come from near and far to support us!

The night never would have been as successful as it was if it wasn't for all of the time and effort that my mom and her absolutely amazing friends put in. Everything was just perfect!

From the beginning of all the planning, it just seemed like people have been coming out of the woodwork to volunteer their time or make a salad or serve food or donate money or donate an item to auction off... or to do all of the above. People are just amazing!

There were some absolutely awesome items donated to be auctioned off. It was hard to even choose the items that I would like to have for my own. A few of the items were just too great and I knew that they were going to bring more money than I could shell out, but I think that's a good problem to have!

Some of the items donated:

I am happy to say that one of the items I purchased was the one that I was determined to get.
It was this purple afghan:

First off, I think it is beautiful and, secondly, my hope is that some day, if God blesses me with a daughter, I will put it in her room and tell her all about her Grandpa and how that afghan was made in his honor for this big fundraiser we did in his memory. And then I'll tell her all about how amazing he was and about all the people who were there to show how much they love and miss him! 

(And if I only have sons, I'll just tell them all the good stuff but I won't make them have a purple afghan in their room (unless they want one)... and if I don't have any kids, I'll tell my nieces and nephews about him... you get the point)

I can't name them all, but here are some of my favorite parts of the night:

Seeing all the people who filled the Five Mile House all night

Having friends and family come from all over to support us!

Having everyone sing happy birthday to my mom before the live auction started!

 Having the first item on the live auction be a bouquet of purple irises which my mom was fully planning on buying. Someone outbid her, buying the bouquet for $500, which obviously bummed her out, but they immediately turned around and gave them to her. Definitely an awesome way to start the auction!

Having 12 dozen farm fresh eggs go for $50 a dozen!

Having these pictures of Ed Podolak that were signed over 40 years ago be sold for $1,800 and then were donated right back and sold again for $1,000.

 

Hearing people rave about the food and the salad bar!

Having the AWV girls' basketball team donate a signed basketball from state last year in honor of my dad, their coach!

And having my Grandpa buy it!

Having Doreen and Nick bid on several things they wanted from the live auction and being outbid for all of it and then watching them bid on some etched mugs and win them, only to find out they were bidding against Jared for a while and then, after he dropped out, they were bidding against no one... Dan (who was spotting bids) was just pretending that there was someone behind them bidding and bidding them up. (Okay, so maybe that wasn't a good thing for them, but it made me smile. They sure got some nice mugs, though!)

They still look pretty happy :)

Having items being donated for the live auction all the way up until the end of the auction! We started the day with 68 items or so, and ended up auctioning off at least 72!

Having my BFF be there! She is awesome!

Seeing the running total halfway through the live auction top $17,000 and then seeing our total with everything on Sunday exceed $45,000!!! (And see that total keep growing!)

Our total on Sunday, but more donations
have kept coming in since then!

Hearing Rukkus play! (even though they had to start over an hour late because we had so many auction items! Again, a good problem to have!)

A Templeton Rye toast to my dad happening in the basement.

Spending the night with these awesome people! They are just a small few of those that made this all possible!

And last but not least, remembering my dad throughout the night and seeing the evidence of how many lives he has touched.

I miss my dad so much and even though that event was in memory of him, it was still strange to think that he wasn't going to be there helping where he could, talking it up with all his friends and family that were there, and hearing him laugh and joke from across the room. I still thought that I'd turn around and he'd be standing there and I'd be able to walk up to him at the end of the night, slide into his one armed hug with my shoulder under his arm and just stand there, admiring all the work that had gone into putting on the event. An event that I know he would have been proud of!

I thank God for blessing us with the awesome family and friends that carried us through the preparations for the fundraiser and through the actual event. I completely give Him all the glory in this! Some people have made comments about how they don't know how my mom does this all or rave about how strong she is or they ask how our family can be so strong through this. I just read a devotional yesterday that I think answers it perfectly. The 10-day devotional is about giving thanks and this specific one basically says that no matter what is going on in our lives, no matter how uncertain it may seem, we have certainty in Jesus Christ. Our family knows that whatever comes our way and whatever the outcome of the season we're going through is, we will survive. We have a hope and a future. That is something to live for, something to be strong for, and something to look forward to! It's a lot easier to deal with everything in life when you know that you can lean on God and He will take care of you. We truly are blessed and are so grateful to bless others by giving them hope with the money that we raised that there will be a treatment or a cure for CJD. Not only that, but we can show them that we believe there is hope in Jesus Christ!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who took the time out of their busy lives to be there in the weeks and days before to prepare and organize and set everything up. Thank you to everyone for using your gifts and talents to provide food for the event and items to be auctioned off. Thank you to those who were there on Saturday to support our cause and thank you to all those who have given generously in my dad's honor. This awesome night couldn't have happened without all the man power behind it! And like my mom stated in the paper, my dad was 100% right when he said "If it is to be, it's up to WE!"
Alone, we are rare, but together, we are strong!