Relay for Life 2014 is in the Books! YAY!!!!!

Instead of long prose about how this and that was, let me just give you the vitals.  I think you will be able to glean from them how special the night was.

The people at 2014 Relay for Life from PGUMC 

Caroline Bray Winters, Challie Sullivan, Drew Sullivan, Claire Sullivan, Danny Sullivan, Lucinda Sullivan, Kelly Werner, Chris Werner, Mark Potratz, Stacy Potratz, Hannah Potratz, Sophie Potratz, Ivey Dodd, Noel Currin, Kevin Currin, Sandy Jennekens, Martha Brown, Heather Jerman, Donald Jerman, Kara Lakey, Harper Minnick, Owen Cole, Christian Santos, Taylor Speri, Jeannette Day, Matt Day, Izzie Day, Jake Day, Chelsea Brown, Amos Brown, Asher Brown, Nikki Speri, Bill Speri, Kathy Lakey, Micah Minnick, Michelle Baitsholts, Todd Baitsholts, Mike Pfeiffer, Suzanne Pfeiffer, Leslie Schreiner, Martin Schreiner, Adam Schreiner, Tara Hardy, Jack Lakey, Mandy Cousins, Emmaline Cousins, Shannon Hardy, Vickie McGee, Sydney McGee, Allana Minnick, Molly Minnick, Derek Osterhoudt, Lindsay Osterhoudt, Chandler Osterhoudt, Brighton Osterhoudt, Maverick Osterhoudt, Jamison Osterhoudt, Grace Guinn, Harrison Sullivan, Jill Boliek, Mark Boliek and many middle school youth that I do not know personally.

Friends who stopped in from other teams to say hello and walk along side us: Dana Murphy, Sherwin Murphy, Jr., and many more who went unnamed.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The beginning: cheering on the cancer survivors during lap one at 6:30pm
• I began on lap two, the caregiver lap - walking along side Chris & Kelly Werner.  Tears flowing freely.  Subsequently then walking shoulder to shoulder with Claire, Ivey, Kelly, Challie, Caroline, Drew, Danny, Stacy, Mark, Jill & Mark Boliek
• Pausing at each of Joe’s 7 luminaries as they were put out along the side of the track. Shedding tears each time a new one was seen
• Joe’s name & photo during luminaria ceremony slide show.
• Quiet, darkness filled luminary walk.  Pausing just a moment again at each of Joe’s luminaries, then many, many, many laps over the next 10 hours.  
• So glad to have the middle school youth there to take up the slack when the adults just couldn’t pull themselves up out of chairs in the middle of the night
• Watching those participating in the hour long Zumba class.
• Watching the belly dancer …a bit odd but the husbands & young kids in the first row seemed to have enjoyed.
• The ear splitting rendition of Grease
• The hourly game announcements
• The lights
• The high humidity
• The cool overnight temperatures
• The laughs
• The stories
• The tears
• The aches & pains; the cramps & swollen ankles & feet; the aching backs
• The dazed expressions of middle school kids going with minimal sleep
• The even more dazed expression on adults faces who went with even less sleep
• The breaking down of the campsite
• Being told I came in second only to learn 5 minutes later of a mathematical error and I actually finished first in fundraising
• The loud cheering from my fellow PGUMC team members when I accepted my little trophy for most individual fundraising 2014
• The long last lap around the track and to the car
• The even longer drive home, subsequent shower and brushing of teeth
• The sheer exhaustion and being unable to sleep
• The tears shed sitting typing highlights when thinking back to how this has become such a part of my life.  How did I get to this point?  Thats when the sobbing began.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported me with a donation this year.  I am so incredibly grateful for your financial generosity and your generosity of spirit. Without you, walking around a high school track for 15 hours in muggy, cold temperatures with painful feet, legs & back would be just another Friday night.  But thanks to you, its RELAY FOR LIFE.   Making more birthdays happen with every lap walked.