Ms. Wheelchair Gala

A few weeks ago we attended the Ms.Wheelchair of California Gala held at the Hilton in Long Beach. It was a BEAUTIFUL event that the gorgeous Jennifer put on! She put so much detail into the event and it showed!

 Daddy with his girl, all ready to go!

We arrived to a red carpet and photographers. 

Katie was so excited to see Mary, Ms.Wheelchair of California 2012 and a dear friend!  

Sweet Sisters on the red carpet! 

Ella got into the fun of it and really enjoyed herself as well. I was worried that she would feel like Katie was getting all the attention, but everyone was so sweet to talk with Ella and ask her questions too! So special! 

Katie getting interviewed about her favorite experiences as Jr. Miss Wheelchair of CA. 2012

After the red carpet, we got to meet and talk with sponsors for the event. We loved running into our favorite organization... The Free Wheelchair Mission! 

Katie was beside herself when she learned who the new Jr. Miss Wheelchair of CA. was going to be... Her dear friend Lordes from Wheelchair sports! These two are just the cutest friends and screamed when they saw each other back stage at the Gala! We are so excited for Lordes and know she is going to have the best year as Jr. Miss Wheelchair! 

 Once again the MC for the event had us cracking up! He is so good! He plays the Genie in Aladdin at Disneyland, so you can get an idea of how spunky and fun he is on stage! 

Oh Jennifer, how we love you so! She is so well spoken and posed up on stage! 

Katie giving her farewell speech. 

Katie spoke about what her favorite experiences were and thanked the Ms. Wheelchair foundation. So bitter sweet. We will always have such fond memories of 2012 and being apart of this fabulous experience! 

 Yay for Lordes!!! She gave the most beautiful speech and had us all in tears! What a sweet, sweet girl! 

Oh Miss Mary, how we adore her! She radiates sweetness and we were so lucky and blessed to work with her this year! She has become such a dear friend. 

A huge Congratulations to the new Ms. Wheelchair of California 2013, the beautiful Margarita!! 

She is going to do an amazing job!!

This was a huge surprise! During the Gala, they gave out an Angel award and I was sitting in my seat when all of a sudden they called my name! I was like "What the What!?!?!" I did not have my sweater on and then I started crying, so I looked pretty silly up there accepting the award. I was so surprised and so honored to receive such a special award.

Like I shared on Facebook, this award is shared with ALL of those who participated in the Summer "Craft for a Cause" boutique at the Hyatt in Long Beach. That boutique helped to raise thousands of dollars for the Ms. Wheelchair foundation. I could not have done it without the amazing support from the crafting and boutique community!  

Such an amazing group! 

 

Penelope Lane boutique was featured on the back of the program! So fun!

There are so many reasons why we love the Ms. Wheelchair foundation, but the main reason is the wonderful role models and examples that we get to meet, like the beautiful Alyson Roth!

Jennifer did an amazing job and we had the most wonderful time at the Gala! We look forward to staying involved and connected in the Ms. Wheelchair foundation. 

Thank You Jennifer for an incredible year and experience!

We love you!!! 

Little Miss Wheelchair of California

On Saturday Katie was crowned Jr. Miss Wheelchair of California! 

The day was amazing. I hope she can always remember this special day. 

We arrived a few hours before the program started and Katie met everyone and got her hair done. She was in heaven! Everyone was so kind and so sweet to us!

It was so awesome to meet Jennifer, the program director. We had seen her many times in the Aladdin Show at Disneyland and we're thrilled when we learned that she was the person in charge of Ms. California wheelchair. She is an incredible person with amazing abilities! 

Before the program, family and friends started to show up. Grandma Great could hardly keep her emotions together. The crying gene runs strong in our family!! 

Daddy seeing his sweet girl with her curls for the first time. 

So much amazing support from friends and family! Family came from far distances to come to this event. It means the world!! 

Aunt Sandy came early with us, she was such a big help, but she is a crier too, so I could not look at her all day! 

Someone asked Katie to autograph their program. She ate it up! She said later "good thing I learned cursive this year!" 

Katie was through the roof when her school teacher and her friends showed up!!

 
the awesome supporters!!

Katie giving her acceptance speech (scroll down to watch the video)

 
Jr. Miss Wheelchair 2012!!

 Getting her crown and sash!

The Ms. Wheelchair competition was amazing. The girls were all incredible with amazing platforms. We were so impressed with each one of them!

A big group had gathered in the foyer waiting for the winners to come out. Katie was shocked when she turned the corner to a roar of applause and cheers! I wish we caught that on video! 

Her friends ran up to her to give her hugs! Too cute!! 

So lucky to have two sweet grandmas! 

Honestly, it was almost too much for this mommy to handle. I still need to just go have a good cry and let it all out because it was one of those days where you remember those feelings in the beginning. The unknown, the worry. How will people treat her? Will she be happy? Then there is a day like this and it confirms that it's going to be o.k. There is so much love and support and opportunities. It was pretty overwhelming for me.

Katie's acceptance speech. 

She practiced hard and was pretty nervous, but did a great job. 

So proud of her! 

Some days the pain is bad (like it is today, poor thing). Some days are hard. Some days the "extra's" can feel really heavy. But some days the days are amazing. Some days they are filled with reminders that miracles are real. Some days I wish I could go back to that doctor that said "God did not deal you a good hand" and say "Look! You were so, so wrong! He not only dealt us a GREAT hand, but He gave us a beautiful life full of experiences that not everyone gets to have. He did more than deal us a good hand! He dealt us a GREAT life. A life full of miracles and incredible moments like this!" 

Free Wheelchair Mission event

Last night we attended the Free Wheelchair Mission Fundraiser at the Hilton in Orange County. Katie was invited to attend as a guest to represent Jr. Miss Wheelchair of California. 

It was awesome to spend such a beautiful evening with Bryant and Katie. It is always special to spend one on one time with each child and last night gave us that opportunity. 

Katie very much enjoyed her experience and it was neat to see her realize the blessing of the good care that we get in America and how she can get a wheelchair with ease, but that is not the case for  millions of others who need wheelchairs around the world. 

 It was a very humbling night for us.

 

It was such an honor to meet Don Schoendorfer the founder of the Free Wheelchair mission. We had originally seen him on a show called "Turning Point" that KBYU produced and we were so moved by his story and his vision, we knew we wanted to get involved more. 

Not too soon after watching that show we were contacted to be part of a project that brought light to the "Free Wheelchair Mission" and we were thrilled to be a part of that project (details coming soon). Now we are hooked. We love this mission and hope to get more and more involved in it.

Don is an amazing guy with a beautiful vision that has changed the lives of millions. He is truly an instrument in God's hands.

 We had the beautiful opportunity to meet Fabio a wheelchair recipient from Colombia. He has such a light to him and through an interpreter we were able to have a very sweet conversation before and after the program. His story and his determination had us all in tears. His life was forever changed because of the gift of a wheelchair. One $67.00 wheelchair.

 Stephen Fishwick started off the the program with his amazing art. It was fascinating to watch! The piece was then auctioned off for $10,000!! 

 $63.94 to change someone's life forever. 

To donate click here

http://www.freewheelchairmission.org

It was such a beautiful night to be a part of. One of my favorite parts was seeing so many people from different faiths come together for such a beautiful mission. This is a faith based organization and I love how the program started with a beautiful prayer and they gave much credit to the Lord. It is incredible to see the Lord's hand in this mission as he uses His instruments to bless the lives of His children around the world.