the perfect gift

Before Lucia was born, or maybe just a couple weeks after, a very good friend of mine wanted to get us a top of the line, mac daddy, baby food processor.  Something to keep our new baby healthy,with fresh food, and of course every baby would eat so this seemed like an amazing gift...at the time.  However, things change and that gift did not work for Lucia's needs.  Instead of that gift, my dear friend and her family gave Jason and I a gift that was truly perfect.  Perfect in so many ways.  Perfect for us, perfect for Lucia and perfectly emotional, exciting and generously perfect.  Last summer we received a card about this perfect gift and it went a bit like this:

Dear Juliet and Jason, 
I am so happy to inform you of the contribution my family has made to PKS Kids.  Each year myself, Todd(brother),  and Noel (step-mom), decide where/who a certain amount of money goes with a foundation that my dad and Noel started.  In the past,  we have divided it up.  This year we all decided that we want all the money to go to PKS Kids.  After a couple emails with Gretchen Peters, (PKS kids founder), she confirmed that we could donate the money to specifically 'sponsor' the Dawkins Family to go to the 2012 PKS conference.  If there is money left over it will be donated directly to PKS Kids.  My family has read Lucia's blog and I've updated them of her progress since her birth and we thought it would be nice for you guys to meet some of the other families with PKS Kids.  As a friend I want to be there for you 100% but when I have not walked in your shoes or experienced what you guys are going through it is hard.  I can only imagine these families being able to help you in ways I can not.  You guys have been so adamantly committed to Lucia since her diagnosis...(more very nice words-thanks court)...and you have taught me what is really important in life. 


...I will continue to keep Lucia in my prayers! I can not wait to come see you guys again!  


Miss you tons, 
Love, Courtney, Michael, Graycen, Paige and oh yea, baby bump or actually 'kidney bean' too.. 

When we were given this gift I was shocked and I cried.  It wasn't a long drawn out sobbing cry, it was a -i can't believe how nice , and mixed bundle of feelings little cry!  I cried because it was so generous and what she wrote was so beautiful.  And I cried because I tried to fight the obvious that we are on a different path, and in different shoes than most of our friends around us.   I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to attend that conference but meeting all the kids, all the families, when we were just getting used to our baby, our baby girls diagnosis, it meant it would, 100% happen.  I was excited, but I think I cried because it made it real.

Receiving that gift seems soooo long ago, and now the gift is about to come true!  Next Thursday, Jason, Lucia and I are flying to Washington DC for the 2012 PKS Kids Face 2 Face Conference.  Forty families of PKS kids, speakers, medical professionals and more will be there from Friday night to Monday morning.

It feels like we have been waiting for this weekend for years!  We will finally meet, face-to-face, friends that I have talked to, texted, emailed, facebooked, exchanged gifts with...relationships that have been going on for over a year and we have never met.  Friends that I can't imagine my life without them in it.  Emily Gold, you are that friend. Samantha Carletti, Brooke Turner, Gretchen Peters, Amber Holmes, and more...

When we meet, NEXT WEEK, I'll meet those friends that are on our path, walking in similar shoes.  I love you Courtney!  And I love you Emily, Sam, Brooke, Gretchen, Amber and more..and can't wait to meet you and your kids!  

Thank you Thesing and Schreiner Family- The Thesing Foundation for gifting our family this perfect gift.  PKS Face to Face here we come, and Jason and I could not be more excited!  Lubird get ready,  we are truly going on a trip of a lifetime! A trip that replaced a food processor...who knew?!  Thank you Lubird for being you.  Thank you God for friends like Courtney,  and those we are about to meet!

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad! And by the way, Courtney and Michaels 'kidney bean' turned out to be a beautiful baby boy, Witt Schreiner, born on March 19th, 2012.

courtney was one of my first friends in Denver! here we are in 1999
hadley cox, tate foster, me, courtney thesing, courtney woodward and jeremy may-now married,
katy glade, gretchen terrill-now married to hadley, and gerri brown!

Wow..the memories from that picture!

We are also so excited to spend Thursday evening with the Flemmings, Gerri Brown and maybe a few other friends that live in DC.  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee  Whoop Whoop!