The gods were smiling down on us on Saturday. I slept well Friday night. I got up energized. I was on time. I didn't forget anything. Seriously, it was amazing!
By 6:45 am, Seth and I were off to the farmer's market. Five minutes later, Sean texted me that he was had arrived at Wilson Park. He had driven up from San Diego with the tie dye shirts and beat us there!
Once everything was set up, Seth headed home to tend to the boys. With Sean at the booth with me, the most merciful thing for everyone was to have Seth stay home with the boys and take care of things there until it was time to pack up. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with Sean, and he was GREAT at talking to people and helping them!!
We got attention immediately after the market opened, and it was steady (and sometimes crazy!) all the way until the end of the market at one o'clock (and even a bit beyond!). The weather was BEAUTIFUL, and the market was PACKED. The booth ended up looking great (if I do say so myself!) and I was really pleased with the layout. I sold at least one of almost everything that I had, which made me happy...I was glad that I chosen things that people liked. Sean's shirts were a hit, and they were really great at drawing people to the booth! Other popular items were the rubber duckies (both with adults and kids alike!) and the badge reels. The car magnets also did well, and everyone loved getting a "together we can make a difference" sticker! I sold several of my pendants and even make a few custom ones right there at the booth :)
We met countless people of all ages, including survivors and women currently undergoing treatment. People shared their stories with us, and I felt privileged to hear them. I met a woman who's hair was just growing back after chemo, and another woman who has had a mastectomy, but has not yet had reconstruction (she had one boob!). I met a gay son who donated on behalf of his mom and then she turned around and bought something for him. I met a girl with a pink ribbon butterfly tattoo on the side of her boob (she showed the boys, twice!) that she got in honor of her mom, who was there with her. I met a woman who's second daughter, Faith, was born after she survived breast cancer. Every minute of it was a blessing, amazing. The time FLEW BY! And every time someone thanked me, I was surprised, because I was thankful for THEM!
Friends and family came out as well, as always, to show their support. THANK YOU! Sometimes my activities keep me away from my loved ones, and it means a lot to me that they come and see me!
It wasn't until the drive home that the exhaustion kicked in. Wow, I was fried! All that talking and exchange of energy had depleted me! After lunch I slept like a log, then it was off to work.
As much as I wanted to blog that night and even this morning, I was EXHAUSTED. My back hurt and my brain was fried! So it would have to wait.
Oh, and by the way, we raised almost $1,000!!!!
Honestly, I never thought about how much I hoped to raise at Wilson Park. I think I was so busy planning that I didn't have time to. But I promise you, even if I had, $1K would not have been my guess or my dream! I was floored.
Thank you to all who donated to the fight!!
Still tired, I didn't want to go to work this afternoon. But no one wants to work on Sundays, so getting a shift covered is close to impossible. Now, though, I'm glad I did, because of table 43.
I don't know their names (I can't believe I never asked), but I waited on a gentleman celebrating his 70th birthday, his wife, and another (younger) man and woman. I don't know if the younger couple was one of their kids and a spouse, or their son and daughter (are you following??). Nonetheless, shortly after they arrived, the younger woman asked my if I was a survivor. When I told her my story (Gina's story), she told me that the older woman was a survivor. Long story longer, we talked at length about breast cancer, I learned that she had had a double mastectomy and that the birthday boy was also a cancer survivor. We were all tearing up at one point or another, grateful that our loved ones were not lost to cancer, but were surviving. They were lovely people, and I was so happy to have met them! They asked for my contact information so they could keep up with me, and I gave my pink ribbon pin to her. I hope they do contact me, if only so I can learn their names. Thank you, table 43, for sharing yourselves with me!
Next up: planning for the Tuesday market and the BJ's fundraiser on Wednesday! Lots of flyers to be distributed! Oh, and we are also having a fundraising BBQ on Sunday exclusively for our apartment complex neighbors!
Hope to see you soon!
Love,
Lisa
Here are some pics from Saturday!
The booth was right down the middle of the market!
The front featured items for a $10 donation
The adopt-a-can did pretty well!
The $20 donation side had adult t-shirts, mom's hats, and the stuffed animals with pink ribbon pins.
The headband was Spencer's idea, and it's the one that sold first!
Me, all smiles :)
My beautiful niece Olivia wearing one of my necklaces!
I came home to this surprise!! It must have been torture for them to wait until I got home to eat it!
A SPECIAL THANKS to Seth, Jack, and Spencer, who make everything I do possible, and to Sean, who has gone above and beyond. I am so lucky to be loved by all of you.
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