Heart Ball 2012

Some of you may have read about my recent trip to Washington DC, part one and two. If you haven't, take a minute (or longer) to read so you'll understand how crazy my weekend was.

The day I get back from DC, and after sleeping in till noon (yikes!), my hubby and I got out of bed and prepare to leave again in a couple hours to go back up to Charleston for the AHAs (American Heart Association) yearly Heart Ball.

I had been invited not only as a heart mom, but as a speaker. I was pretty nervous and had been contemplating what to say for weeks. I didn't write a speech because I never stick to them and I usually just "wing it" and do pretty fine. This had a bit more pressure because it was a fundraiser and I didn't want it to have too much detail and lose people's attention, nor did I want it to be really emotional and become a sobbing mess in front of 300 finely dressed people.

We clean up pretty good!

*and yes, that is the dining room table on it's side. It's used as a barrier to keep The Kid out of the kitchen*

The drive up is uneventful and we arrive in Charleston right on time. The AHA was able to get us a room at the Marriot, where the ball was taking place, so that we wouldn't have to drive back home again at 1 in the morning. *waves* Thanks Holly!! So the Hubby and I were excited about staying in a nice hotel together for once. :)

The reason for the ball: to honor Dr. Dilip Basu and his Heart of Gold Award.

Once you step inside the ballroom, you see all the table full of items for the silent auction.

Then in the middle of the ballroom were our heart kids! That's Jacob on the far right whose mom blogs as well!

These cutouts were blown up from the pictures I took of the kids months earlier.

We wander around for a while, looking at the items up for silent auction, get our pictures taken, then wander back to our table to eat. 

Out table arrangement.

My delicious salad.

So before dinner was served, it was time for the night's introduction by Bailey, a 9 year old heart survivor.
Click here to watch his speech. I didn't catch the first couple seconds, but he did great!

Then dinner was served.

Then dinner, which was yummy. The steak wasn't as rare as I would have liked, but the fish I could have eaten every day for the rest of my life.

The ballroom.

My hubby telling tales of his job as a Correctional Officer. I felt bad for the other heart parents because I know how long Hubby can talk and talk about that kind of thing. But they enjoyed his stories and he was very entertaining.

Check out this little beauty :) She's one sister of a heart survivor.

Then the live auction began!

Here's the auctioneer going around hassling people to bid. :P

The fundraising was slow going, but I was happy to see that people were participating and donating. 

Then it was my turn to speak. I took a deep breath, drank down the rest of my wine, and walked up to the podium.

Watch here.

While I spoke, they showed a slideshow behind me. 

He is me when I spoke in front of Delegates at our state Capitol.

A photo I ordered from Names in the Sand  for Corbin's birthday.

I was pretty proud of myself! I think I did a good job, I didn't get flustered or fumble over my words, and I didn't break down. There was a moment, if you noticed, where I looked over and saw Corbin's picture and I had to take a second to compose myself. But overall I think it went great!

The rest of the night involved free wine, music by a Beatles cover band, and lot's of cute kids dancing and just being adorable. 

Heart warrior Jacob. He was so funny. Whatever game he was playing on his mom's iphone was cracking him up and in turn, making the rest of us laugh along with him.

The band did great! I love how they got involved and let Jacob come up and play the tambourine. 

Heart mom and her gorgeous, curly-haired daughters. 

Jacob was a total ladies man that night.

Dancing with mom.

Check out the video of Jacob totally cutting a rug! Hilarious! 

And another cute video of cute kids dancing. 

Like I said, ladies man!

Our AHA friend Holly, then my two heart mom advocates helping with Corbin's Bill, whose son's are both named Jacob. 

Heart moms, advocates, mothers, wives, and saving lives in honor of all heart babies and Corbin.

I had so much fun. Dinner was great, the speakers were touching and inspiring, and we raised money to help those affected by heart disease. I can't wait for next year!

Now for the best part. Our room. :)

Check out the carpet!

The bed was actually really uncomfortable, the pillows were way too soft or way too hard, but the sheets were really nice!

I want this chair for my living room.

You know I have to get a bathroom shot.

Really? Bath and Body Works? 

You know I took those home :)

Unplugged

Sometimes all you need is a break. Unwind, unplug from the computer, and just sit on the floor with your toddler and play with dinosaurs.

At least that's what I did.

You would not believe the amount of drama that can happen in the heart and angel mom communities. "My kid is sicker then yours", "just because their kid is sick doesn't make them special", "you don't belong here because your kid died". 

Pathetic.

Ignorant.

Cruel.

Rude.

Jealous.

These are just a few terms that describe some of the people out there. The people that should not be judging but instead be sharing support and love to other mothers who have experienced similar circumstances. But sadly, that isn't always the case.

So I turned the computer off and shut them all out. 

I won't say it was easy. I was surprised, honestly, at the anxiety I felt for not being involved. I felt like something bad would happen if I wasn't always updating with up to the minute information and articles. I needed to be in the loop! 

But after the anxiety passed, I felt peace. Calm. Less stressed. Let me tell you, it is hard work to always be networking and advocating and sharing articles on 12 different websites. It takes a lot of time, and that was time I should have been spending with my son. I was spending too much time on the computer trying to share awareness and help other people when I should have been playing with dinosaurs and building blocks with my son. 

So three days later, I feel much better. Almost cleansed. Of course the drama is still there, the arguments and competitions; but I know now that I don't have to always be in the loop. I can check in every once and a while and I can still advocate and spread awareness. But now, I'm going to be doing it on my time, when my son is asleep so I don't miss the little moments, like this.

or this

or this. :)