Friday, November 30, 2007

Make A Child Smile

Kelly is featured on a website this month called Make a Child Smile. This website features three kids a month with life-threatening illnesses. People who visit the website can learn about the children and send them mail to cheer them up.

Visit Make a Child Smile at http://www.makeachildsmile.org/featured_kids.shtml to see Kelly!

December has always been Kelly's favorite month and it looks like she is going to have a very good one this year. Make A Wish is coming to our house Monday to talk to Kelly and help her decide on her wish. She has some things in mind that she'll talk about with them, then they will help her come up with a wish that will enable her to do what she wants to do. We will write more about Kelly's wish after she talks to her wish granters and they help her make her wish happen.

21 comments:

Tracy said...

hi Kelly!
I think I need your autograph - you're getting quite famous! Your photo on the Make A Child Smile website is beautiful! I think it's your beautiful, kind, funny spirit shining through!

Wow - how exciting that the Make a Wish people are coming to your house! That's going to be an exciting visit - talking about fun adventures and tropical places
Can't wait to hear about it!

Happy December 1st! All of us here are hoping and praying that you're feeling good and can enjoy all the things about December that you love!
Lots of love & hugs!...
Aunt Tracy, Uncle Tom, Emily & Jake

Unknown said...

Hi Kelly,
The piece on you was great! However it failed to mention what a beautiful girl you are on the inside as well as the outside. I hope that your wish will be one that you will remember for the rest of your life as a fun time. You deserve it! I love December too--enjoy the glory of this time! xo The Nicolosi Family

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

I agree with your Aunt Tracy. You DO have a lovely smile. I'm thrilled for you that the Make a Wish people are coming.

I have another Vienna story for you today. You may recall that I was there over Christmas break. New Year's Eve was coming, and one of the three ladies who ran the hotel asked me what I was going to do that night. I told her I didn't know. She suggested that I go to the New Year's Eve concert at the Musikverein. You may have seen it on TV. Walter Cronkite hosts it every year. I said it was a nice idea, but, isn't it strictly formal wear, I asked. She said: "Don't worry about that. I'll order you a ticket."

So, on New Year's Eve, I got into my brown suit, and a sort of pumpkin-colored turtleneck, and off I went to the Musikverein.

I got into the elevator, and everyone glared at me. They were all in tuxedos or elegant evening gowns. Bless his heart, the elevator operator saved the situation. He said softly, but loud enough fo all to hear: "Der Herr ist ein amerikanischer Ekzentriker," which means "The gentleman is an American eccentric." Now, I hadn't said a word, so he couldn't have nailed my nationality by my accent. He probably figured only an American eccentric would wear a brown suit and pumpkin-colored turtleneck to the New Year's Eve concert. Suddenly, everyone was all smiles and gentle nods, and my brown suit no longer mattered.

I honestly don't know whether the music was more impressive, or the sight of the hall. It was filled with roses, irises, tulips, and daffodils. There was a small note in the program thanking KLM, the Dutch airline, for flying all the flowers in from Holland for free. Judging from the amout of flowers they had in the hall, I doubt that you could have found a single flower in ANY greenhouse in all of Holland. It was spectacular.

When I got back to the hotel, their New Year's Eve party was starting. They gave each guest a one-liter bottle of Gruener Veltliner, a very nice Austrian white wine. I didn't want to get drunk, so I asked the lady who ordered my concert ticket to share my bottle. They also had cheeses, rye bread, coldcuts, and fruit. It was a lovely party, and we all listened to the Pummerin, the big bell in St. Stephen's Cathedral, ring in the new year.

The week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve was unusually warm and sunny. New Year's Day was cold and cloudy. I had an afternoon train to catch. I got into the coach, took a seat by the window, and just as the train pulled out of the Vienna West Station, it started to snow.

Enjoy your December and pick out something spectacular with the Make a Wish people.

Henry

Catalina Eddy said...

Hi Shining Star!
When the Make-A-Wish rep comes to the door, let's hope that Mandy doesn't scare them off.
I'm going for a hike today, if the weather holds. It's been raining a lot lately.
I'm glad we were able to get our halls all decked with boughs of holly (fa la la la) last weekend. Have you gotten your first snow of the season yet? We have . . . down on Moana Kea on the Big Island.
All my love

Shannon said...

Hey Kelly!
You ARE becoming famous! :P I think it's really exciting having the Make-a-Wish foundation come!! My brother Scott was in a club at Mission that raised money for it, and we learned about all the amazing wishes they granted. Can't wait to hear about your wish...
<3 Shannon Hargis
P.s. No wonder they featured you on that website; you DO make people smile!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

I have a story of unintentional humor for you today.

Your Aunt Denise has told you that my wife and I are translators, right? Well, we get a monthly magazine that has, among other things, a humor column. The following story was in that column several years ago, and I've never been able to forget it.

You've probably heard of the Electrolux vacuum cleaner company. Well, they opened a factory in Sweden, and they wanted to try to sell some of the vacuum cleaners they made in Sweden in Britain and Ireland.

So, they put some of their Swedish advertising people to work trying to come up with ads in English that would help sell the vacuum cleaners they made in Sweden.

Here I have to interrupt the story to tell you that I don't know Swedish. I DO know that the German for "vacuum cleaner" is Staubsauger, which literally means "dust sucker." It must be the same in Swedish, because here's the ad the Swedish advertising people came up with:

"Nothing sucks like Electrolux." They figured, "It even rhymes. How cool is that?" But they couldn't figure out why their vacuum cleaners weren't selling in Britain or Ireland.

Happy first Sunday of Advent!

Henry

Susan Krapinski aka "The Momma" said...

Kelly,
I visited your website and I agree with one of your other visitors...your picture is beautiful! I have caught up on your journal, and I am so happy that you have formed friendships with others following the same journey. I know when Danielle was first dx, she and I both did not have anyone to really talk to who was experiencing all of the same emotions. It helps to have that support, for both the patient and the caretaker :)

If you don't mind, I would love to put your link to "Make a Child Smile" on Danielle's website. I know how much fun it is to get mail instead of e-mail! Of course I would only put it on with your permission!

Enjoy the month of December, with all the twinkling lights and holiday good cheer. Who DOESN'T love this month?!

Keeping you in my prayers,
Susan Krapinski
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/daniellekrapinski

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

Its Annie Clare again from MRS.MARTINS fourth grade class i still admire you so much but now more you still rock!!!!!!!!!!

love,
Annie Clare 4-1

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

Did you know that many of our best-known nursery rhymes were kind of like newspapers in code in their day? Blabbing openly about what went on at Henry VIII's court could get you a one-way ticket to the Tower of London, where you might lose your head.

Take this example:

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye
(Well, it IS nonsense, but it has to start somehow.)
Four-and-twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie.
(Abbots of 24 monastic houses in England. They were put under a GREAT deal of pressure to swear allegiance to Henry, rather than the Pope. Note the four-and twenty, too. The Germans STILL count that way. It's a pain.)
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.
(More pressure. The abbots said: "Please don't kill me. I'll sign, I'll sign!)
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the King?

I hope you have a great day! Good luck with the wish people.

Henry

Aunt Jenny & Uncle Bob, Kylie and Ryan ie & Ryan said...

Hi Kelly!

Hope your day went especially well today with the Make a Wish people!

Kylie and Ryan think it's pretty cool you're featured on the Make A Child smile website! We all agree that we like your photo--very beautiful!!

We just got the mail today and we had a very special Christmas card from the Laude Family!! What another great photo of all of you girls! Your mom is very organized for getting those done and sent so early!

Well, time to turn on the Christmas lights! It's getting dark outside already!

Love,

Aunt Jenny, Uncle Bob, Kylie and Ryan

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

This is Ryan. I'll see you in 22 days! I can't wait!

Love,
Ryan

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

It's really cool that you are on the Make A Child Smile website. You look very, very pretty!

I can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Love,
Kylie

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly. First of all- what a beautiful photo on that website! I would LOVE to photograph like that! Second of all- I have to agree with your post the other day about Henry's messages to you. I'm reading them too so that I might suck the smartness out of them and hopefully have it land in my head. Henry help me out here- how do you say "head sucker" in German? :) I will make sure to tidy the city up for the Make A Wish folks- can't wait to hear what you come up with!

Ros (from GAP)

Anonymous said...

Dear Kelly,

If you don't mind, I'll tell you another Fergus/Lower Five Islands story. By now you know that the Bay of Fundy has the world's highest tides. Over time, the tides, and especially the blocks of ice they push in early spring, chew at the shore, so what you get is red clay banks. The swallows find uneven shelves in these banks, and they build their nests there. Fergus liked to go down to the banks and visit the swallows. He would sit there, peer into the nests, and if a hatchling moved or peeped, he'd get excited and bark, and come get us. Now, you'd think that a big, hairy dog would freak the parent birds out. Nope. They'd look up at him and go about there business as if to say: "It's just Fergus." When WE would go with him, they'd buzz us and get all bent out of shape. My sister and I would say: "It's okay. We're with him!" Then we'd say: "Have a nice visit with your friends, Fergus. We'd like to keep our eyes." It was the same year after year. It was like he was the godfather to whole generations of swallows. I've never seen anything like it!

Your friend Ros paid me a compliment, for which I thank her. The German for head sucker, if she really wants to know, would be Kopfsauger. I've never seen the word in print, or heard it. It has something vampire-like about it, don't you think?

Have fun deciding what your wish should be.

Henry

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly

This is Alex from 4-1. As you may know,Mrs. Martin teaches us Religion and Social Studies. I admire your bravery and courage. Mrs. Martin talks a lot about your bravery. Get better soon.

Love,
Alex G.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

It's Alex again.I just wanted to wishes and good luck.Get well soon.


Love,
Alexander Greene

Anonymous said...

Wait what do i write ?????..................... OH THIS IS GOOD!! Hey Kelly its Tim Truong in 4-1 from Mrs.Martin's class. Wow everybody writes to you, you should be real happyyy that everybody admires you. It must be hard to be going throu any type of cancer. (URG)WOW you really are brave no really really brave no not even you're really really really really brave oh my cheese you get the point. LOL wow I dont even like a little shot but then I remember you and how hard it would be to go throu your treatment. Now I appreciate life even more. You know if I had to do a surgery I would be crying my head off (litteraly). Well ok got to go I need to get rest for school. You're so awsome everybody in my class admire you so wellll peo people would say you're so awsome. Hope you get better soon!!!!!!!


Hope,Joy,Peace,Faith,and Bravery,:):):):):o:o:o:o lololol

$_!TIMOTHY T>
(4-1 Timothy T.)

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,

By now you know that translations can be a source of unintended humor. Consider this case.

Sometime in the 1960s, Rolls-Royce decided to try to sell their cars in Germany. They thought they'd have the best chances with their Silver Mist model. So, they decided to mount a big billboard blitz: "Experience the Silver Mist." They got somebody to translate that. The translator got the "experience" right, and "silver" was okay, too, but whoever it was left "Mist" as it was. He or she figured: "Mist in English is probably the same in German." Only it's not. "Mist" in German means "manure."

Have a great day!

Henry

Anonymous said...

Hi again,

I'm back with another mini-German lesson. You know that when President Kennedy went to Berlin, he said: "Ich bin ein Berliner" and the crowd went wild. He and his staff thought he said: "I am a Berliner," but he didn't. What he said was "I am a jelly doughnut." To say "I am a Berliner," you say "Ich bin Berliner" and leave out the "ein."

Say, if you like old, funny English movies, see if you can get a copy of "The Belles of St. Trinian." It set in a girls' school like none other you've seen or heard of before.

I'll leave you in peace.

Henry

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,
I'm Cindy Manzanares' mother, Donna. Cindy has told me so much about you I just had to leave a note. How exciting about the Make A Wish. I hope we get to know what you decide. There are so many people thinking about you and praying for you. I know good times are ahead for you. Have a great holiday...I'm sure you are on Santa's "Extra Nice" list :)
Love,
Donna Ryburn

Anonymous said...

Kelly,

That is a really cute picture on that websight!!!!!! i wish i was that photogenic lol....

love you lots, cant wait to see you!!!!

love,
~Jeannine