Monday, October 28, 2019

Monday, October 28, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken on Halloween of 2004. This was Mattie's third Halloween and by that point, he absolutely understood what Halloween was about! We went shopping for his costume together and we both gravitated to Winnie the Pooh. We both loved Pooh stories and this costume was soft and not itchy. Which were required qualities of any Mattie costume! I think he made the cutest Pooh around. 








Quote of the day: Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. ~ Judith Olney

Another beautiful weather day in Washington, DC. Which of course inspired me to take a walk to the National Mall with Sunny. Sunny LOVES the Mall. In one of the tidal pools is the resident Great Blue Heron. He is always there!

Around our complex, new flowers were planted for Fall. I LOVE pansies and to me the orange flowers scream out.... MATTIE MIRACLE!

It begins! Today we packed up our car with all our candy bins! Even empty bins are very heavy. We store the bins at a friend's house. But unfortunately where the bins are stored is not where we host the candy drive. So it was a day of running around and set up.  

Our friend Ali has an amazing two story garage. This is the perfect space for the candy drive. 

Get the picture? Literally candy comes in by the front of the garage door and volunteers sort the candy into the orange bowls you see on the tables. Once sorted into ziploc bags, the bags then go into bins. Quite the system. 

More of the sorting process!

Can you see all the bins stacked and on the floor behind the sorting tables? It is hard to believe but within a week, the garage will be FULL of candy!

Bins and more bins! So how do we know Ali? Well Ali is the daughter of my "dear" friend Margaret. Margaret was Mattie's preschool teacher and a devoted Mattie Miracle supporter. In fact, it was Margaret who secured our FIRST corporate sponsorship for the Walk. I am saddened that Margaret died in 2014 from ALS. But her daughter, Ali has picked up where her mom left off. Rather a beautiful tribute to the memory of Mattie and Margaret.