Breakfast With Santa

Hey, everyone! I thought you guys would think it was cool to hear about where we went yesterday, why, and who I met. The UMDF (United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation) hosted a Christmas party in a hotel near Atlanta. The party started at 9:30, and since we live about an hour away from there, we were supposed to get up early. We had a crazy time getting ready, though, because something went wrong with the alarm clock and we didn't wake up when we were supposed to. We had to shower, blow dry our hair, get dressed, and leave in just fifteen minutes! We actually made it there right on time (which was a miracle). 

The first thing we noticed when we got there was a big table with a bunch of toys and presents on it. After we looked around, we went to get some breakfast. They had eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, and some danishes. It was delicious! After we ate, we walked over to the table, where we were told that each kid could pick out one present. T. J. Max donated all of the presents. I got a box full of magic tricks, James got table-top soccer, and Aly got a jewelry box that opened on the top, front, and back. All of the presents were awesome! After each kid chose a present, the T. J. Max volunteers stood up, made an announcement, and handed the person from the UMDF a gigantic donation!

When we were done with picking out presents, we went and saw Santa Claus. Aly, James, and I each got a picture with him. He asked us what we wanted for Christmas, and he told us that maybe we would get the thing we wanted if we were good.

I walked around, looking to see if there was someone that I knew. I saw Dr. Kendall and her husband, Mr. Mike, and I found my friends Penelope, Hannah, Ruby, Lily, and Annabelle. We talked and had a really good time! It felt kind of good to be around kids my age who also have Mito. There was one girl named Emily, who had Mito, who invited me to join her group called TNT DynaMito.

It was almost time to leave, so I was walking around saying goodbye to my friends. Try to guess who I saw! Actually, you guys will probably not be able to guess it, so I'll tell you: I saw Miss Georgia! Miss Georgia from the pageant, who would go on next to compete for Miss America. It was so cool, and she was really nice and funny when I talked to her and asked her if she would take a picture with me. Here is that picture!

While we were driving home, my Nana called my mom and asked if we wanted to come over to her house. My mom said yes, so we went and picked up Panda Express for lunch and drove to Nana's house. Nana lives there with GG (Great Grandmother) and Opa (German for Grandpa). We sat down and started eating after we all said hello. Right in the middle of lunch, my cousin Mackenzie called and asked if she could come over, and we all said yes. Nana and Aly got in the car and drove to Mackenzie's house, and by the time they got back we had all finished eating. Nana finished her lunch, and then all of the adults started talking while James, Mackenzie, and Aly played MarioKart and I practiced my new magic tricks. When I was confident I knew them well, I actually put on a magic show for everyone! (No, I will not tell you how they work. Try to figure them out yourself!) After the show, we cleaned everything up and went home. It was probably one of the best days of my life!!!!

Feeling bad...but going to Disney!!!

Hi, everybody!

I haven't been having a very good week...I am getting tired a lot, and I have an I.V. I had to get stuck with a needle 3 times, too. The first time, it was my I.V. but it didn't really help. The second time, it started dripping everywhere. The third time, I got another I.V. which is still in my arm. It should be done soon, though. I have been so tired, I had to skip going to physical therapy twice. Today I'm feeling better...not as tired as I was. Mommy said that I'm starting to look a little gray, which worries me, because last time I turned gray, I crashed and was REALLY tired. That was why I had to get my I.V. I'm hoping it will be okay, and I'm trying to focus on this: I'm so excited, because in a few days, my family and I will be going to Disney World! On Saturday, we had a party to celebrate me being able to go with Make-A-Wish. I went out with my mom and got a new outfit, and we bought a lot of decorations and party favors. Ms. Joelma made my cake, which was shaped like  a castle. It was orange, which is my favorite color! It had little toy fairies on it(Tinker Bell, Fawn, Rosetta, Silvermist, and Iridessa) stuck all over it. It was so pretty! I invited some close friends, and a lot of my family members. My Nana and Opa brought a game called The Plunger Game, and everyone enjoyed playing it, even the adults! I am REALLY excited about the actual Disney part. I really want to go on Space Mountain, Soarin', the Haunted Mansion, the Mad Tea Party ride, and It's A Small World. They all look like lots of fun!!! Well, I will write another post either when we get there, or when we get back. Bye!!!

Mattie

FOCUS

Hey, everybody, this weekend my whole family and I went to a FOCUS event at Camp Twin Lakes Will-O-Way. FOCUS stands for Families Of Children Under Stress. We were camping from Saturday morning till Sunday afternoon. Each family would share a little cabin with three other families. We got a cabin with Mrs. Amanda's family, and another family that we never saw. We woke up at 7:30 am on Saturday, and drove for about an hour. It was a little after nine when we got there. When the workers were getting us checked in, they handed us a bag with our schedule, T-shirts, and name tags. After we got unpacked, we went out to see what we could do.

It was a couple hours until our first event, which was archery, so we went out on boats that you had to pedal so that they would move. After the boats, we went fishing, and then headed off to archery. We had a blast, shooting arrows at targets. James even hit an apple off the top of a target. He was the only one who was able to get it!

After we finished archery, we went to the Arts and Crafts Cabin. Because the theme was Super Heroes, they had capes and masks you could decorate. They also let you design a picture frame for the family picture they give you. I drew little hearts and stars on my cape, and put stars on my yellow mask. Alyssa, James, and I all did the picture frame together. Then, I went on a peddle boat with Mrs. Amanda, Layton, and Mr. Karl.


At 12:00 pm, we went for lunch at the Dining Hall. Before they opened the lunch line, they played a little bit of BINGO. Then they said the blessing and opened the line. They had fruit, quesadillas, and PB&J sandwiches. For dessert, they had brownies. When everyone was done eating, they had Spirit Time. Spirit Time was where they played music and you got to sing and dance. I tried to learn all of the dances!

After lunch, we went to the gym. They had super heroes there: Bat Man, Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern, and Captain America. The super heroes gave you their autograph, and even took a picture with you! When the super heroes left,  the kids ran around. Then, we played dodge ball. Aly and I were on a team with a boy we didn't know, and James and Layton were on the other team. By the time we finished playing, it was time for dinner.

Instead of eating at the Dining Hall, we ate by the pool. They played BINGO, and Mrs. Amanda won a round! For dinner, they had hamburgers, french fries, and watermelon. They also had veggie burgers for if you were a vegetarian, like James. After dinner, we played volleyball. Then, we went and had s'mores. Finally, it was time for the hay ride. It was really fun, but very cold. James and I thought it was weird that the ride didn't have any hay!!!

The next morning, we had to wake up at 7:00 so we could be ready for breakfast at 8:00. I had taken a shower the night before, so all I had to do was get dressed and bu\rush my teeth. Then I read my book My Sister's Keeper until it was time to go. We went to breakfast which was eggs, toast, cereal, and bacon. Then they had Spirit Time again, and I knew all of the moves! We had to leave right after breakfast so that we could make it to our next event, the Climbing Tower.

The Climbing Tower was a really high rock wall. Each one of us(except for my parents, who didn't go on at all) went on the tower twice. Both Aly and James only made it half-way the first time, but the second time they both made it all the way. I made it half-way both times. It was really cool watching other people do it, because some of the kids couldn't even walk. There was one boy who couldn't walk, and they put him in a little sling so that they could pull him up. He had never done anything like that before, and he had the biggest smile on his face.


We walked around for awhile, and then went into the Dining Hall to play Bingo, and then eat lunch. I was so excited when I won Bingo!! I went up to the prize box, and finally chose a Littlest Pet Shop coloring book. Katy won the next round, and chose a packet of tattoos. She gave me and James four each. After lunch, we had Spirit Time again. While I was dancing, a lady with a camera kept taking pictures of me dancing to some of the songs. I was super excited when she came over and told me that she worked for the newspaper. She asked my mom if it was okay to use my picture in the newspaper, and Mommy said yes! The reporter said she would send us a copy of the newspaper with my picture in it. We haven't gotten that yet.

After we finished talking to the reporter, someone brought out a craft. The craft was where you take a small strip of leather, and you can take metal stamps and stamp your name into the leather. I made a bracelet that said Mattie L. We then went outside to do our last activity: remote control race cars. I got the red car, and raced against my brother, who had the silver car. Then I gave my remote to someone else, and so did James. That way, everyone got a turn.

That weekend at camp was one of the best ones in my life. It was nice to see that there were others like me out there. While at camp, I met a few people that had Mitochondrial Myopathy, many people in wheelchairs, and a couple who had hearing aids. You know what? I can't wait 'till they do the camp again next year!!!