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Post by keahgirl8 on Apr 26, 2009 23:09:16 GMT -5
I think I still have the address! Thanks Donna!
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on Apr 27, 2009 19:02:19 GMT -5
Diapers are taken care of, thanks to ttfn, shelbytx, marriedtoajason, lunchmeat, paris & my mom. ' Don't forget you too, Millie!!!
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annie12
Latte
Street Team Leader: Louisiana
My heart was stolen in the dark...[N4:###]
Posts: 298
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Post by annie12 on Apr 27, 2009 19:18:27 GMT -5
I'm #thWooHoo2# every time I think about it!!! Only 17 more days!!!
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on Apr 28, 2009 6:51:15 GMT -5
16 days now!!!! Sweet sixteen!! I'm whooping too!!!
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 3, 2009 22:53:53 GMT -5
11 days. It is really coming fast!
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evy827
House Blend
Official JCM#315 DH#1537 Bus#31 JMS#121
Posts: 21
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Post by evy827 on May 4, 2009 19:21:17 GMT -5
This is such a wonderful idea!! I wish I had found this thread sooner than today. No time for me to make travel plans at this late date. (I'm in Massachusetts)
Is it to late to help in someway??? Can I mail anything; baby stuff etc. I could have a box ready in a day or so. Please PM me if there is any way in which to help.
Thanks.
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 9, 2009 22:47:58 GMT -5
This is such a wonderful idea!! I wish I had found this thread sooner than today. No time for me to make travel plans at this late date. (I'm in Massachusetts) Is it to late to help in someway??? Can I mail anything; baby stuff etc. I could have a box ready in a day or so. Please PM me if there is any way in which to help. Thanks. Thanks Evelyn, your package was received today in Texas. The babies say thank you too.
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evy827
House Blend
Official JCM#315 DH#1537 Bus#31 JMS#121
Posts: 21
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Post by evy827 on May 12, 2009 7:33:52 GMT -5
quote] Thanks Evelyn, your package was received today in Texas. The babies say thank you too. [/quote] ' 'Thanks Donna, you can ignore the PM I sent you. I should have looked here first. I hope you all have a wonderful time this weekend!!! Wish I was joining y'all.
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Post by keahgirl8 on May 14, 2009 11:29:49 GMT -5
Praying for all of you beautiful ladies, and the work God has set about to do through you.
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millie4Him
House Blend
The camera is at your service!
Posts: 16
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Post by millie4Him on May 14, 2009 14:21:32 GMT -5
We found this bunny on the way... to the Hilton. Shhhhhh, its a secret...but as were checking the Hilton to make sure it was still there for our out of Texas guests (it was), whoaaaa, to our surprise, look who we ran into taking a gift to their room, ... SIJ (Stand-In Jason)
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millie4Him
House Blend
The camera is at your service!
Posts: 16
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Post by millie4Him on May 15, 2009 21:35:30 GMT -5
The baby bags - the fruit of everyone's labor - beautiful, just beautiful. Donna with her plaque (thanks to ttfn)... Our t-shirts... Working at Goodwill... Enjoying the sunset over the lake...
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evy827
House Blend
Official JCM#315 DH#1537 Bus#31 JMS#121
Posts: 21
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Post by evy827 on May 16, 2009 7:02:23 GMT -5
Those baby bags look great!! And you all look terrific in your shirts. Looking forward to lot's more pictures!!!
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 17, 2009 8:32:33 GMT -5
The pictures really show the fun and the good that we are doing here. Thank you all for your donations and thoughts and prayers. We couldn't have done this without them!
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Post by janaroow2agmom on May 17, 2009 16:26:36 GMT -5
Wow! I had a blessed day yesterday with some of the most wonderful ladies on the planet. They let me join them for one day, nothing compared to what they have contributed!! Habitat for Humanity was rained out so we served at Helping Hands. Lunch at Gloria's and great fellowship. Winnie and Serene, thank you so much for the bag you made . So sweet of you!! Thanks. Janice
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Post by rockwallgirl on May 18, 2009 9:31:45 GMT -5
Thanks to all you JCM'rs that contributed so that we could have such a successful weekend. It was really an blessing to be able to participate and I think I received more from it than I gave. Funny how that works.
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 18, 2009 22:54:30 GMT -5
It was a blast ya'll! I too received far more than I gave. I will post a synopsis here and at TDH in the morning.
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 19, 2009 8:24:04 GMT -5
Before I post a synopsis of the weekend, I thought I should list the characters that were there.
Jason’s Fans (aka all of you) The Dreadheads, the JCM’ers, the Copians, the Goth Girls, etc etc. These fabulous people always know how to pick each other up when we are down, and celebrate in love with each other when there is joy! We pray together, laugh together, cry together and support Jason together. This project needed people who could support it in many ways, and you all were able to do that. We had people sending donations to Rockwall, people collecting the donations in Rockwall and people coming to Rockwall to work (and play!). We had people in Rockwall hosting us and driving us, too. Most importantly, through it all, we had people praying for us. Each and every one of you were a participant in this project in some way or another. You all made this a success!!
Grammahcac (aka “Marcie”) Gramma Marcie is such a doll. She was my kindred spirit and we hit it off right away. Just like on the TDH boards every morning, we were the early risers each morning in our hotel room. I hope I am as cool a Gramma as she is when I become a Gramma some day! She and I found our “shimmers” of light throughout the weekend. I managed to get us lost while trying to find Our Lady of the Lake Church, and the winery, but lost or not, we enjoyed every minute with each other.
Jasonbeliever (aka “Sue”) Sue is such a enthusiastic soul. Her bubbly personality shone the minute she got off the plane. She found her niche at the Helping Hands Thrift Shop on Saturday, where she spent the ENTIRE day using her professional design experience to artfully arrange their two long walls of framed pictures. I will miss her infectious laugh and optimistic outlook, despite the fact that she was the one that “made” me cry after the service at Lake Pointe!
Annie12 (aka Annie) Annie is a great lady who brought a calming influence to room 505 at the Rockwall Hilton. Even though she was in a lot of pain with her shoulder injury, that didn’t stop her from working with us for the weekend. I’m not sure she will want to follow me in the car again, as I got us lost looking for the winery. We almost turned into the Dog Farm, instead of the winery!
irkutskangels (aka Leigh Ann) Leigh Ann is a quiet soul with the most pretty eyes that were a window to her beautiful heart. She was our local Dreadhead that received all the baby bag donations for us. She sorted and counted everything before we arrived and her organization made the baby bag stuffing a breeze! She and Darlene made the most wonderful gift bags for us, which were waiting at the hotel when we arrived. I am especially touched that she took the time to make us Texas shaped homemade soap!
Millie4him (aka Darlene, aka minnie4him, aka Darlin’) Darlene’s help with designing and ordering the t-shirts we wore for the weekend was vital. She arranged for an artist to design the logo and took care of the ordering and delivery, as well as printing all the name tags we wore. Without her help, we would not have looked so organized and professional when we arrived for each work project. She and all the Houston gals provided most of the diapers for the baby bags. Lastly, she was able to find a SIJ (stand in Jason) willing to wear the dreads at every stop!
heartjason (aka Jeannie) Jeannie is the consummate hostess and had a delicious fruit basket waiting for us at our room at the Hilton. She always greeted us with a hug and her bright Texas smile and had plenty of fun, “inside” information about our hometown boy. After all our work on Saturday, Jeannie invited us to her house for a relaxing glass of wine next to their gorgeous pool and was instrumental in our beautiful Sunday afternoon on a catamaran on the lake in Rockwall. Not just any boat, but the very boat Jason sailed in on during his homecoming celebration!
rockwallgirl (Cindy) Cindy was our Rockwall angel from the minute we arrived in Dallas. She opened her home to all the ladies to stuff the baby bags. We were able to be comfortable, eat and stuff the baby bags too, all just a minute from the Hilton, which was a blessing given my poor navigational skills! Cindy was a wonderful hometown resource every time we needed some information, and also helped to drive all of us around to the projects.
Lorrainefromtexas (aka Lorriane) Lorraine has the most beautiful, expressive eyes! She and Arlene drove all the way from Corpus Christi to join us. She was my work buddy at the Goodwill warehouse and at the Helping Hands Thrift Shop, and we were very productive hanging clothes, while chatting and working hard. She was also a great driver, chauffeuring us to Lewisville and Royse City and I can’t wait to see all the fun pictures she was taking while we hung all those clothes. The t-shirt bin provided lots of laughs! Oh, and Lorraine, can I borrow your cell phone? I need to call my phone to see where it is! Really!
jasonluver15 (aka Arlene) Arlene is a quiet young lady with a lovely smile, and a twinkle in her eye. She was also my work buddy at Goodwill and Helping Hands where we were able to talk and laugh while we worked and I truly enjoyed getting to know her during that time. She knows more about all eight seasons of AI than anyone I have ever met. I hope to see Arlene again sometime, as we learned too late in the weekend that we are both wine lovers. We will have to share a glass together the next time we meet.
janaroow2agmom (aka Janice) I had met Janice, who is from Fort Worth, at the Garland concert last December. I was so delighted to know we would get to see each other again in Rockwall. Janice joined us on Saturday hoping to work on the Habitat for Humanity build. Despite the rain, she was a trooper and just went to Helping Hands with us instead. I was able to get to know her a little better as we drove to the locations and sat together at Gloria’s for lunch. She is a great lady, and I hope to see her again next year at the 2nd annual weekend!
aggie02 (aka Megan) Megan was one of the JCM’ers, and she was able to join us at the Goodwill warehouse on Friday afternoon where she was one of my working buddies while we hung the dresses and shirts. It was great to meet her and get to know her more, as I am not on the JCM site as often as I would like to be. She also suggested the great restaurant in Dallas, called Chuy’s, that we went to and enjoyed margaritas and fun conversation.
beckyvee (aka Becky) I had met Becky online and at the Garland concert last December, so I was glad that not only she, but her daughter, Regan, and Regan’s family, were able to join us for part of the weekend. Unfortunately, the day they were there to work on the Habitat for Humanity build was a washout, but Regan, Carlos and their three boys Micah, Liam and Noe were a pleasure to have around during some other activities. Becky and Regan were fun winery companions, sharing stories and laughs, and Micah and Liam helped to steer the boat on the lake on Sunday, just like Jason did just about a year ago. Becky was beaming with pride as she spent time with her grandbabies.
letsdovintage (aka Gayla) Gayla was able to join us on Sunday, which was also her birthday. She is such a sweet lady with one the most lovely voices I have ever heard. Toss in that Texas drawl and I could listen to her stories all day long! She shared the work she has done with Sue on the prayer box, and I am glad that we will be able to include some reflections of this weekend in the box for Jason.
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donna
House Blend
Posts: 80
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Post by donna on May 21, 2009 14:00:23 GMT -5
To quote someone we all know, “This is a story. Do you want to hear a story?”
Our “Shine Your Light Weekend of Service” was one of the most rewarding experiences I have been involved in. When May 14 finally rolled around, I boarded my plane in Philadelphia excited to have the culmination of our plans begin. I arrived at the Dallas airport ready to meet Grammahcac first, and then on to meet jasonbeliever at her gate. Within minutes of landing, I discovered that both their flights were delayed about two hours. I had arrived in terminal E, so I set off on my trek to terminal A to meet Gramma’s flight. Her flight was diverted to a gate in terminal C, so I hopped back on the skylink train to get to terminal C. Once I was at the newly assigned gate, cute little Marcie snuck up behind me and met me with a hug. She and I proceeded to Sue’s gate to greet her upon her arrival, and we were then on a jaunt to gather all our luggage and get the rental car. Better late than never was the word of the day! We were all safe on the ground and ready to get to work. As we traveled to Rockwall, the local ladies were at Cindy’s house waiting for us to stuff the baby bags. They could not get far without us, as I was hand carrying (or should I say lugging) the 25 pound duffle bag holding the bags with me! Of course there was traffic as we anxiously drove to our destination, but eventually we made it to our home for the next 4 days at the Rockwall Hilton. We checked in, and as we opened the door to our beautiful room, we saw the spectacular gift bags and baskets waiting for us! What a sight that was to the trio of weary travelers! As quickly as we could, we got to Cindy’s house where we were greeted by our hometown angels Cindy, Leigh Ann, Jeannie and Darlene. They had pizza, crudites, brownies and cookies waiting for our hungry tummys. We promptly bonded over some Jason stories, and then set to work stuffing the baby bags. With Jason’s music serenading us, we were able to fill all 166 bags in no time! That is right, 166 bags! Seeing the bags stuffed and completed in front of us helped to confirm the magnitude of what the Dreadheads had collected and sent to Leigh Ann in Rockwall. There was a lump in my throat as we took pictures for you all to see. The hope of a live feed from the house was dashed when I realized there was no internet at the house. Although you all were not able to see the fruits of your labor, I felt your presence and love in each and every pink and blue bag. We loaded all the bags in our cars, ready to be delivered to the babies the next day. When we arrived back at the Hilton, Annie was there, too, resting after a long drive from Baton Rouge.
Friday was a beautiful day, as we met everyone from the night before, plus Arlene and Lorraine, to begin our day. We drove about an hour to Lewisville where PediPlace was located. When we arrived, we met Siobhan, who directed us to the conference room where we delivered our precious cargo. The conference table was completely filled with those baby bags! When the staff entered the room and saw what was there, I know they were awestruck at the sight. They were truly grateful for the gift we had brought them. There were a few tears shed as we told them about all the Dreadheads from 17 states and Canada that had responded to our request for help. We received a tour of the facility, and saw the dedicated staff that lovingly care for the babies and children every day. We also got to meet some of the children who were at the clinic that day. The work they are doing makes a difference in these babies lives and I know our donation will help them tremendously as they continue that work.
After we said our goodbyes to the staff at PediPlace, we discussed where we should have lunch before we went on to our next project. As we were brainstorming several different restaurant locations, the name “Jason’s Deli” was mentioned. This is a deli chain that is in Texas! We couldn’t pass up the irony of the name, and we proceeded to go to Jason’s Deli for a great lunch. Filled and ready for more work, we drove to the Goodwill warehouse in Dallas. When we walked into the lobby we noticed a sign which said “Welcome Jason Castro Fans”! What a warm welcome that was. We waited until someone came to meet us and take us into the HUGE warehouse. We were split into four groups. Annie went off to help with some pricing, Jeannie, Cindy and Darlene went to help tag clothing items, Marcie and Sue helped to sort and separate hundreds of books, cd’s and dvd’s while Lorraine, Arlene, Donna and Megan worked at emptying three large bins of blouses, t-shirts and dresses by hanging them on 15 racks for steaming and tagging. The warehouse was buzzing with activity and the regular workers instructed us as we helped them with their responsibilities.
There were several “shimmers” that we saw throughout our afternoon there. The ladies working with the books discovered a cross and a Neil Diamond album featuring the song, “Forever in Blue Jeans”. The ladies hanging the clothes saw some Texas A & M t shirts, and the ladies who were tagging the clothes had an uplifting spiritual conversation with the supervisor they were working with. These shimmers helped to confirm that we all were exactly where we were supposed to be that day! After an afternoon of hard work, we relaxed at a restaurant called “Chuy’s”, where we enjoyed more conversation and of course chips, salsa and margaritas.
Saturday was a rainy and dreary day. We all met in lobby of the Hilton, and Janice joined us this day from Fort Worth. When we arrived at the muddy Habitat for Humanity building site, we learned that it was too wet to be able to do any work there that day. We were all disappointed, but were given a tour of the house and were impressed with the hard work and dedication that was obvious among the volunteers that were there. After conversing with one of the volunteers named Samantha, we learned of a nearby thrift shop called “Helping Hands” that could always use help with their store and the donations. We decided to go see if we could help, but before we left we talked with another volunteer, John, who was a member of Lake Pointe Church. He suggested an Adult Bible Fellowship group for us to join the next day.
We literally ascended upon the wonderful folks at “Helping Hands”. In the pouring rain, we approached the workers there and asked if they could use our help. Within a few minutes, we were all given assignments, and we set to work. We helped with the store and the donations that were there. Ironically, the twitter from NeighborsGo that was sent out a few days before, alerting Rockwall that Jason’s fans were coming to their city for community service, had listed the Helping Hands as a location for others to help. Again, we were exactly where we were supposed to be. We worked like busy little bees until lunch time. Sue, however, decided to stay to complete the project she had started. She was organizing the two long walls of framed pictures they had. She did not leave until the shop closed later that day at five o’clock! While she was working, she was able to strike up several conversations with the customers and even sold a few pictures!
While Sue worked, the rest of us “slackers” went to Gloria’s at the harbor for lunch. Afterwards, Jeannie invited us back to her house where we met her husband and her dogs, and relaxed with a glass of wine by their spectacular pool. It was a great way to end the day. Marcie and I left some of the ladies at Jeannie’s house and went to Our Lady of the Lake Church for Saturday evening mass, but before we left, we said goodbye to Lorraine and Arlene, who were leaving the next morning for their long ride back to Corpus Christi. While we were at mass (I will gloss over the part where we got lost because we couldn’t see the street sign due to the construction near the church) we saw our friend Samantha from the HFH build earlier. Shimmer! We stopped to talk to her after mass and thanked her for suggesting Helping Hands to us. After mass, we returned to the hotel and picked up Becky, Regan and Annie and headed off to find the San Martino winery in Rockwall. After getting a little lost, we stopped and asked for directions and backed up on to a curb, laughing hysterically. We hadn’t even has a sip of wine yet! We did find the winery and enjoyed tasting their luscious wines. We bought some wine to take on our boat ride the next day, and we set out back to the hotel, stopping on the way to get some Chik-Fil-A. Marcie had never eaten there and we were able to check that off her list.
Sunday morning dawned beautiful and sunny. It seemed ironic that the one day we were scheduled to work outside was the one day that it rained. I have to believe that everything happens for a reason. We met in the lobby again and went on to Lake Pointe Church for our ABF class and Sunday service. Lake Pointe is a beautiful facility and it is HUGE. So much larger than I pictured. Jeannie, who is a LP member, guided us to the correct room for the ABF and we met our friend, John, from the HFH build again. When the ABF started we were welcomed as guests. The discussion and instruction that followed was very insightful. We then went on to Sunday service in the auditorium. It is a very large room with a stage and large screens. This is the same place where we have seen videos of Jason singing “Clumsy”, “I’m Not Who I Was”, and “White Christmas”. The service began and ended with beautiful singing in worship. The lyrics of each song are displayed on the screens behind the band, and one of the songs lyrics included the line “Shine your light and let the whole world see. We’re singing for the glory of the risen King”. Shimmer!! I did tear up at that, too. The teaching pastor talked very eloquently about the holiness of God. Once the service was over, we all hugged and that was when I cried tears of relief and joy, knowing that the weekend was a success.
The last activity on our agenda was a boat ride on a catamaran in the harbor. We changed clothes, grabbed a quick lunch and boarded the boat. It was not just any boat. It was the same sailboat that Jason rode into the harbor at his homecoming after his AI departure. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon! We enjoyed wine, friendship and fellowship for the next two hours. We were able to steer the boat, just like Jason did on his homecoming day, and the captain showed us the guest book that Jason and Rene signed that homecoming day, too. As we were docking, we saw Cindy on shore waiting to greet us! We said some goodbyes to Annie and the Dreadheads that we would not be seeing again, and we went on to dinner at Gloria’s. After more wonderful conversation and fun, we bid goodbye to Darlene, Gayla and Jeannie. Sue, Marcie and I returned to the hotel to begin the sad task of packing up to go home.
Monday morning was leisurely as we finished packing and had breakfast in the sun by the pool. We checked out, said our goodbyes to Rockwall, and set off to the airport. As we said our final goodbyes and gave out our final hugs, of course we cried.
The women I met this weekend will be counted as my friends forever. We formed a bond that is special. I know I will see them all again. This will now be called the “First Annual Shine Your Light Weekend of Service”. We will do this again next year, for the second annual weekend. The Hilton already told me that if we book a block of 10 rooms, we can be guaranteed rooms on the beautiful second floor terrace! I know we can do that, and just think of the beautiful sunsets we can enjoy on that terrace, after a long day of “Shining Our Lights”!
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