Kaylee woke up at 8:30 this morning. I was sneaking downstairs because Dad was going to go up to Stuart with me and look at the building Kaylee and I looked at yesterday. He knows way more about things like this and what stuff to look for in a building. Turns out that the owner of the building and his son had their cattle get out of the field, so they spent the morning trying to get them rounded up. Dad and I were supposed to go up there at 9:00, but that got postponed until the afternoon. Anyway, I was sneaking downstairs to tell Dad it would be postponed when I saw Kaylee’s phone lit up. I stopped and said “well, hello! I didn’t know you were awake.” She said she was just getting ready to call me.
I went in and got a hug from her and I laid down on the bed with my head on her shoulder. We talked a few minutes and then she was ready to go downstairs. By getting down earlier, she got to see Dad and Conner since they stayed home later. With our meeting being moved to the afternoon, Dad and Conner got ready and went to work at the vineyard. Kaylee started laundry and then took her meds. I was working on magazines this morning. I wanted to get the Virginia Tech College of Ag & Life Sciences magazine finished up and sent to the printer and then had to design two new articles for Surry Living Magazine and send all of the edits back to the team. And in between those, I had three banners to design for Rooster Walk.
At lunch, Kaylee warmed up Spaghetti-Os and watched some TV. She also spent time this morning and afternoon keeping an eye on Mom. She kept asking her about laying down and icing her cheek where she had the surgery. One time, Mom bent over to pick something up and remembered she wasn’t supposed to bend over like that. She looked at me and said “Don’t tell Kaylee I did that. She’ll get onto me!” Kaylee also started packing her stuff and a few things Tabatha couldn’t pack until this morning. I left to meet Dad in Stuart and look at that building about 1:30 and Kaylee stayed at the house with Mom.
I got back home about an hour later and had an OK on Surry Living, so I got it finalized and then uploaded. Two magazines at the printer today. And I got the Rooster Walk jobs done for the day. Plus, looked at some potential office space. I’d say that was a productive day. When Tabatha got off work and got home, we put everything in the van and hit the road. Kaylee slept off an on during the trip. The road is rough in a few spots, but then a “squatted” truck passed us with a loud muffler revving the engine and it woke her up. She did end up getting about an hour of sleep, but it was in three segments.
We checked in the Hilton Garden Inn and carried our stuff up. Kaylee and Tabatha got dressed for the event tonight and then we drove to the Salem Red Sox stadium. It was a beautiful night and such a wonderful event. They had dinner and an auction, and then they had three families talk about their family and what event led them to staying at the Ronald McDonald House. I feared up a couple of times listening to their stories and I got choked up a couple of times talking about Kaylee. We got to meet the two other families afterwards and share stories. It was wonderful. One family is from Galax and we actually had several friends in common. A woman came over to me afterwards and told me she was from Patrick County and she told me about how she perked up when she heard me say my name. She graduated from the high school a few years ahead of me. I hadn’t seen her in years. That was so cool.
We met several of the board members and got to talk with them. Everybody kept thanking all of us for sharing our story. I think it’s important for people to hear it. It validates the time and effort these people have put into the Ronald McDonald House. With this journal, I’ve been really open and honest, probably too much sometimes, but I want people to learn from this and have some ideas of what to do or what to expect if they find themselves in a similar situation or know someone who is. And I also want them to be inspired. To know what can be done in today’s medical world, but also to know how much love is out there in the world. Even when people didn’t know Kaylee, they sent love her way. It takes all of this. A dash of miracle, a helping of medical expertise, and a whole lot of love. The Roanoke McDonald House is full of love and compassion and I was so honored to be asked to speak. And we made some new friends out of it.
They had a fireworks show afterwards and then we talked with people and thanked everyone. They kept thanking us, but it is really our place to thank them. After it was all over, we headed back to the hotel. We talked with Mom and Dad and checked on Mom and how she was doing. She is doing good by the way. Kaylee then talked to Thomas for a little bit. Tabatha was worn out from the week leading up to graduation and then this event. She was asleep by around 11:40. Kaylee was tired too and we turned the light off at 11:45. It was such a special night. The Ronald McDonald House spread a lot of love again tonight. They are such wonderful people and a great organization. If you’re ever thinking about a group to support or donate to, keep them in mind.
