Cinderellas At the Ball

I've told you- every once in a while we see a huge blessing

come out of the fact our son had cancer.

This weekend was one of them.

We were invited up to Sun Valley for the big

Share Your Heart Ball to benefit Camp Rainbow Gold.

We were given two rooms at the Sun Valley Inn

(one for us, one for the kids-- oh and we opted to leave

Kean with my parents.  He wouldn't have enjoyed it and neither would

I -- if he'd come).  Our beloved friends from Camp left

all kinds of goodies for the children in the rooms.

 The girls have been so excited about this event for months.

They love getting all dressed up and getting to play princess

for the evening.

 This has to be one of the coolest fundraisers on the planet.

They have several activities to raise money to send kids

to cancer camp-- but also to give attendees a feel for

some of the fun of camp.

The girls all tried their hands at archery -- depending on where

they hit on the target determines how many raffle tickets they win.

(We didn't win the diamond necklace or the big trip-- but the parents who

lost their only child to cancer won the trip to Hawaii.  Isn't that the coolest?).

 They  had cow roping- we skipped that since we have enough cow roping

at home and opted for the crazy photo booth instead.

 We marveled at the items in a huge silent auction

and then got to sit with several friends at our table- 

including Miss Idaho Teen.  The girls know her from

sibling camp.  Her little brother had the same kind of

cancer as Kean.

Greer looks a little too comfy in that crown.  Heaven help us!

 The live auction was a thriller.

Almost every item went for over ten grand.

Sometimes, the items went for that huge amount twice, meaning,

they'd offer a trip or something again.

The sponsors were that generous.

 The final item was a piece of artwork-- made by children

battling cancer while up at Camp.

My girls (and two other friends we know from camp)

were asked to go up on stage and show off the art.

It went for 15 grand (I think Reese's mad Vanna White skills

helped) and it included a one night visit to camp (can we 

say Tater Tot Casserole?).

I was touched by the generosity of so many at the ball.

The same guy who bought this artwork, raised his paddle a

short time later and donated another 25 grand to camp.

There are some big hearts in Sun Valley!

 Once the dinner and auction were over, it was time to let loose.

The girls were on the dance floor for the first song

and Greer and Holland were on the floor for the last.

(Reese ran out of gas half way through).

 One of the things that made it so fun-- is everyone was

incredibly friendly.  Every time I turned around, the girls 

were dancing with someone new.

Let's just say we made a ton of new friends.

 Our late night called for a lazy morning-

we tried to sleep in a bit..

But the girls wanted to go check out the newly

remodeled pool at the Sun Valley Lodge.

 Everything is beautiful-- and I had to include this picture

of the girls in the new work out center--- all on the treadmill

in their snow boots! 

 We had the best weekend getaway and loved seeing all

the support shown to the amazing Camp Rainbow Gold.

One of the moms of a child with cancer put it perfectly:  she said,

Camp heals a part of our family that medicine can't.

We couldn't agree more.