Mattie Miracle Walk 2023 was a $131,249 success!

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation Promotional Video

Thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive!

Dear Mattie Blog Readers,

It means a great deal to us that you take the time to write to us and to share your thoughts, feelings, and reflections on Mattie's battle and death. Your messages are very meaningful to us and help support us through very challenging times. To you we are forever grateful. As my readers know, I promised to write the blog for a year after Mattie's death, which would mean that I could technically stop writing on September 9, 2010. However, at the moment, I feel like our journey with grief still needs to be processed and fortunately I have a willing support network still committed to reading. Therefore, the blog continues on. If I should find the need to stop writing, I assure you I will give you advanced notice. In the mean time, thank you for reading, thank you for having the courage to share this journey with us, and most importantly thank you for keeping Mattie's memory alive.


As Mattie would say, Ooga Booga (meaning, I LOVE YOU)! Vicki and Peter



The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation celebrates its 7th anniversary!

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation was created in the honor of Mattie.

We are a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. We are dedicated to increasing childhood cancer awareness, education, advocacy, research and psychosocial support services to children, their families and medical personnel. Children and their families will be supported throughout the cancer treatment journey, to ensure access to quality psychosocial and mental health care, and to enable children to cope with cancer so they can lead happy and productive lives. Please visit the website at: www.mattiemiracle.com and take some time to explore the site.

We have only gotten this far because of people like yourself, who have supported us through thick and thin. So thank you for your continued support and caring, and remember:

.... Let's Make the Miracle Happen and Stomp Out Childhood Cancer!

A Remembrance Video of Mattie

June 11, 2017

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2005. This was Mattie's third visit to the Outer Banks, and actually our last time there. Peter and I did not return to the Outer Banks until 2014 for the first time. As you can see Mattie was having a good time with Peter outside on the deck of the house we rented. What a great smile! 


Quote of the day: Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else. ~ Lawrence Block


My joke with Peter is that the condo we rented is much cleaner now after we stayed there for a week. When we first entered the property there was a horrid smell. The smell is gone, just in time for the next guests. Little do they know the work we did. I should also let you know that I complained so much that the owner of the condo purchased a new washing machine while we were there and had it delivered during our stay. 
The condo unit radiates old, tired, and dark. We are quite sure they haven't upgraded anything for decades. The on-line photos when we booked this unit looked much better than this. The last condo we rented in the Outer Banks in 2014, was absolutely fine, updated and clean. 
When we arrived at this condo last week, all of the shades were closed. The condo had NO light coming into it. Clearly you see we changed that around. 
Thankfully on good weather days, we spent a lot of time on the deck which had a magnificent view of the ocean. It was fun people and dog watching. Not to mention dolphin and moon watching as well. 
Our view. Every morning and at dusk, we saw dolphins! Except for the days it was raining and the waves were about 15 feet tall and crashing onto the shore. 
The beauty of the Outer Banks. The beaches are never packed with people and for the most part, beach goers are families. I can't tell you how many store owners I talked to that all fell in love with the Outer Banks and chose to retire here. I certainly get that in the spring and summer months. But in reality they like the peaceful seclusion that the winters also have to offer. 
Before we headed home this morning, we stopped at Miller's. Miller's is a local restaurant that has been on the beach since the 1970's serving breakfast. Breakfast is always very fresh and the service is always very friendly and helpful. 
That is where the peace ended! Our trip home was bordering on horrific! Traffic upon traffic. What should have taken 5 hours, took over 7 hours. Toward the end of the trip we decided to drive on the toll portion of the road to get away from the masses of cars. As I told Peter, the toll was worth the journey. 
Some photos of Mattie Moon from the beach! This was Friday night's red moon. 
A beauty!
This was the moon on Saturday night. 
Even the Atlantic was all a glow in red. 





















As I always do, here is a listing of the Restaurants we dined at:
Monday: Roadside Grill (excellent food)
Tuesday: Watermen's in Waves, NC (forget it!)
Wednesday: Kimball's Kitchen (wonderful and right on the sound)
Thursday: Mulligan's (food is decent but not a repeater)
Friday: Ocean Boulevard (excellent food)
Saturday: Avenue Waterfront Grille and Lost Colony (both had good food)

1 comment:

Margy Jost said...

Vicki,
Welcome Home!! I am going to start from the bottom to the top of your blog by thanking you for the restaurant reviews! That is thoughtful.

We too, enjoyed the Mattie Moons although seeing them over the water increases the magnificence. It is a shame this lovely beach house isn't cared for better. But you surely made it more inviting for the next guests!

I hope you have a large blog following for many reasons but especially for the honesty found in the blogs. Vacationing, eating out, just living day to day will never be the same without Mattie. Nothing you & Peter, no matter that you love each other & being together, will bring the same kind of joy as having these traditions with Mattie by your sides doing with you. I wonder how many travelers who people watch ever consider the story of a couple vacationing alone. I wonder too, how many people who know these couples, ever stop to consider just how painful or sad it is for parents who have lost a child to Cancer, watch other families who have no idea how swiftly life can change forever, without warning.

I learn many things from your blog! The most important thing is I learn about Mattie. He was precious & dearly loved forever. Horrible Cancer can sneak into a child without warning. It is a tornado, leaving only destruction, anguish in its path. That once again, I know parent loss is forever. It doesn't come & go. It is always there, no matter the events and smiles, the pain remains palpable. I wish there was more understanding of this fact. Not because, it would lessen the pain or change anything. It would possibly make people kinder, less judgemental and watch their words. No one can change the pain of loosing a child!