Peace Train!

For the fourth October in a row the stakes were once again high. The pressure has been mounting for weeks now. The tension around here has been so great you could slice it with a knife!

"Boo in the School" took place earlier today at The Washington Center, Ben's special needs school. Because the bar has been set so high by the previous three Halloween costumes, two of which were the creative expertise of Ben's nurses, the expectation now is for us to at least make an attempt to match the previous year's effort. Thankfully we didn't disappoint.

Thought and preparations actually began in earnest around the end of August. The construction included our entire family as well as Nurse Tracy and two of Jessie's closest friends. This past week was a flurry of cardboard, duct tape, paint, and the down-loading of four versions of the song "Peace Train." One of them is actually an "Africanized" arrangement in honor of Tracy's native South Africa.

So we are happy to report that for the third year in a row, Ben garnered the top prize at his school! Now the hard part begins: trying to figure out what we will do next year...
 

 All aboard The Peace Train! Just for the day Tracy became a conductor rather than a nurse. Note the working light at the front of the train.

 Our little engineer gets ready for the parade.

Our crew prepping for the judges. If you look closely you will see Jessie's iPod which was playing those Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam songs in sequence. Homage in a variety of bright colors to special peace-makers including Nelson Mandela, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bono. Although I painted the base coats of red and black Jessie and her friends (as you will see in another post this weekend) did all of the colorful decorations.

Siesta at the Wheel

This is a photo taken earlier this week of our Chihuahua named Blaze.  He is sound asleep. That may not be obvious unless you were within earshot of Greenville, South Carolina and could hear him snore.

Blaze is actually Ben's dog. If you are a long-time follower of our blog then you'd know that our family became a reluctant owner of this little felloow a few summers back. It's not that we didn't think he was cute and precious and snugly and...whatever, it's just that we are not so much...little dog people. Plus Chihuahuas sort of have a reputation of having a bit of a temper.

Personally I have no trouble with this dog. For the most part he's been pretty good around kids and he's pretty hilarious to observe on a regular basis (see above photo). We've also discovered two positive sides of owning a small dog: they eat less and therefore poop less.This is something the entire family appreciates now that Jessie has started helping with yard chores.

So you may be asking yourself why I'm bringing up this subject and posting this particular picture while the family is within the midst of some really wonderful folks and organizations helping us out at the moment. It is quite simple. Yours truly pretty much pulled a "Blaze Siesta" this weekend and nearly forgot an art festival I am supposed to attend. The really embarrassing part is this isn't the first time this situation has occurred (shut up Christy)!

While Blaze continues to moon our readers I will be busy washing clothes and packing for my trip to Bluffton, SC this weekend (and not next). And hopefully one day I'll learn how to use a calendar.

"This One Goes to Eleven!"

With a tip of the cap to one of my favorite movies (This is Spinal Tap), we give you a few scenes from Ben's party Saturday evening. I'm so sorry that the pictures turned out so crappy (we used our cheap digital camcorder and the lighting wasn't so hot) but that didn't dampen the mood over the weekend!

Besides many of our family we also were thrilled to have two of three nurses who work with Ben on a regular basis. And to make it more fun Ben made friends with two of their own children. We also can't say enough about the staff at Joe's Crabshack. It's always a pleasurable experience but our waiter made it even more special for Ben (as you will soon see).

Dad, MeMa, Ben, and Nurse Tracy wait for more folks to arrive.

Ben poses between Nurse Julie and Nurse Tracy! Tracy goes to school with Ben three days a week. We generally see Julie on weekends and weeknights. Both have been incredibly accommodating in helping Joan the weekends I travel. They are also very dear to us just like all of Ben's care-givers. One funny incident: Ben did NOT want to sit with me instead choosing to sit between the ladies. Smart kid!

Tracy's youngest daughter Leah looked so very much like a younger version of Jessie!

Besides a good party this was what everybody looked forward to as well.

Ben's new buddy Jackson who is Julie's son.

My not-so-good impressionistic view from Ben's chair.

Diligent Hands, Gracious Hearts

That won't be the last time you will hear that phrase within this blog. It is the name of the non-profit organization that has come to our rescue! Work has begun here on renovations that will positively impact not only Ben's livelihood and health but our living situation as a whole. There are many folks out there that I really want to go ahead and thank, give props to, bequest wonderful accolades to, etc.  the problem is that I don't know exactly who many of them are at the moment.

As things move forward I really want to make our readers aware of some of the really, really good people who have wanted to help us all along but just didn't know how to. We also want to document this event so that we provide hope for other families here in the upstate of South Carolina and perhaps give other organizations in other states ideas on how to help meet the needs of those who need it. In a very strange but very cool way, this has become something of a massive art project! All of us involved are in the process of learning at the moment and essentially this could serve as a model for future families in our situation...but for now, allow us to let you see Ben's new wheelchair ramp!!!

This is Ben's first trip down his ramp! He goes to school three days a week via a bus and I was able to capture this moment early morning this past Friday. The railings have now been added so it not only meets our needs but construction codes as well!

Hopeful Parents and Baseball

As always, on the 7th of each month you can find us over at Hopeful Parents. Today we talk about hopes, dreams, and tossing a stitched ball around the infield. Come on over and have a dog and a beer!

Birthday Weekend on River Street!

The weekend didn't get off to a very good start. About an hour before I had planned to leave last Thursday we discovered that our camper had flooded due to an overnight storm. Our area of the country has been suffering from drought conditions for the past two months so that 10 percent chance of thunderstorms was pretty much ignored when we went to bed the night before.

After spending a few hours cleaning up and drying out the camper (and knowing we would be living out of a motel room over the weekend) we pulled Jessie out of school early and headed to Savannah. What followed over the next 48 hours or so was one of Ben's most memorable birthdays!

Joan finally got to meet some more of Ben's extended family. The Waterfront Association, the artists, and friends I have made over the past few years who have become aware of Ben's story over the years couldn't have been more accommodating and welcoming. The ultimate result was a memorable weekend and a promise from Joan that she will return often! Plus I had a great weekend of sales! Awesome doesn't begin to define the experience.

The booth looked mighty fine. It usually does on River Street!

The crowds were HUGE! This is the second most attended show on River Street - "slightly" behind St. Patrick's Day.

We got with the program and let Jessie fit in better.

My buddy Jonathan introduces Jessie to Peaches.

Joan finally warmed up to Peaches too. Jonathan has become a another good friend of mine...and our family.

For his birthday Ben meets our albino Burmese Python friend!

 

 Trick Kelly and his family are some awesome folks. Here Trick begins his street performance on an 8-foot unicycle.

Part of Trick's act is escaping this straight-jacket wrapped in chains. The Kelly and Waddell families are now great friends! This was just another highlight of the weekend.

And Ben's "real" Savannah family. Butch, Erin, Allie, and Kenny. I wish I could truly thank them for the experience of last weekend but it would never be possible. Joan rarely allows me to share her thoughts or opinions here but Joan was very teary-eyed in attempting to thank Kenny via me. Neither one of us could ever express how wonderful you guys made our weekend!