a different kind of perfect

Great Strides Recap!

Mid may in Chicago...46 degrees and chilly with the rain holding off until we packed up the car...we celebrated with over 160 members of Team Eat. Pray. Dean!!

Words are failing us as we sit down to type this - Today was awesome, just simply amazing!  We are in complete awe with the amount of support we have received in so many different ways.  Everything that you did to make our fundraising efforts and this actual day is truly appreciated.  We were choked up with emotions today after the group picture and we wanted to thank you all out loud for being with us, so we'll make sure to polish up on our public speaking skills for next year :).  But we appreciate and noticed and recognized the biggest and littlest things you did... the enormous fundraising success online, in schools, at workplaces and via word of mouth, the bringing and setting up of tents, the breakfast goodies, the efficiency and help in getting our area set up, the coffee, creamer, sugar, the munchkins, the oranges, the in-kind donations, the coolers, the blankets, the water, the tables, the t-shirt sponsors, the printer that produced great t-shirts, a fantastic banner and a beautiful thank you sign, the t-shirt folding crew, the help with the kids while we prepared for this day, the $ to help defray our expenses, the guest book, help with the logo, the tissue holders, the grills (especially lugging them when we didn't get to use them), the rice krispies, emails from those out-of-town with words of encouragement and promises of prayers, the watermelon, the cookies, crackers, snack mix, cutting the bagels, the pink lemonade, the pop, our photographers, our clean-up crew, our kick-off prayer, the letters from sweet, sweet people whom we've never had the pleasure to meet wishing us well and praying for us and Dean, those of you who tried to make it but because of circumstances out of your control were there in spirit, the help in getting things back home, those who manned our tent while we walked in celebration, kept Dean warm during the celebration, who brought their kids out in the chilly weather (and had to bring out the winter gear to do that), who came from hours away just for this event, those mommas that have little ones in their belly, those that left loved ones at home that were not feeling well and every other little and big thing that you all did to make our day absolutely the best we could have EVER imagined for.  This was a perfect celebration of Dean's first year.

We are blessed.  Dean is blessed.  We thank God for giving us our little man, for his big brother and his two big sisters.  We thank you for the love, the prayers, the support and will keep each and everyone of you in our prayers and look forward to walking with you each year!

We'll send out one more final email next week with pictures and the total that we raised when we get the final amount!!

Jim, Erin, Cali, Owen, Evie & Dean-o