A really nice thing for some really nice people...

Everyone in a crisis needs a good friend. I have had many willing ears and shoulders, but I have found that I am only comfortable expressing myself to a few people. One of those people is my friend Britny. If anyone reading this is ever unfortunate to go through my situation, I sincerely hope you are fortunate enough to have a Britny as well. We realized at her 30th birthday party the other night that we have known each other for fifteen years! She knew both me and J before we were "us" and has loved us both for years. She is a good friend, a good mama, and an all around good person and I don't know how I would have made it through the last seven months if she weren't around. She would (and has) dropped everything to talk sense into me when reality sucks a little too much. She has come over at midnight when I couldn't face being alone and she was the one to help me pack up J's stuff when over a month passed after he walked out the door, he still hadn't mentioned it and I couldn't face seeing it in the closet anymore (but couldn't face putting it away either). She has loved on my kids endlessly and her boys and mine are the best of friends. Not a Sunday has gone by in seven months that she hasn't encouraged us to join them for dinner and she makes sure I text when I leave her place late to let her know that I am home and that my house is axe-murderer-free (or she knows I am coming home late from somewhere else). More than once she has gotten alarmed at my lack of timely text response in general and has threatened to put all the kids in the car and come make sure we are ok. She has been protective and caring and if she is tired of emotionally picking me up off the floor, she has yet to show it. Her husband, Jared, is equally awesome and has put up admirably with his wife being on the phone with me all the time throughout the day as well as me and my kids being at his place often. He is a great conversationalist and it has been nice to debate and discuss the kinds of subjects that I used to with J and have missed. He has never come to my house and not fixed something and is always asking what else he can do to help. He wrestles my boys, holds Sis and is a constant reminder that there are good men out there. They have one of the most amazing relationships and I have actually learned a lot in watching the way they interact.


However, like many good people, they have had their trials. The last year or so for them has been almost as crazy as mine, in a different way. It started when their twins were born and were immediately admitted to the NICU. About three days later, Jared found evidence that a partner in his company was both embezzling money and had fraudulently used his info to buy thousands of dollars worth of trucks and equipment. Their very promising company had to declare bankruptcy and Jared got a job to fill the gap in Wyoming for a week on and a week off, leaving Britny with two boys and newborn twins. When layoffs (and his lack of seniority, which overrode his awesomeness) affected his Wyoming job, they found themselves with little choice but to rent out their home, and pack up all four kids to Alaska to live with his parents, while he captained charted fishing boat tours (incidentally, the week they went, they went to and were turned away by last minute cancelled flights seven times because the of volcano in Alaska). They returned home last September and Jared started work again. For the next few months, Britny became my sounding board and all around emotional crutch. Several months ago, both twins were admitted to the hospital for a few days with respiratory problems, not long after that, Jared had to be rushed into a midnight surgery for a nearly ruptured appendix. Last week, seven year old Josh went into anaphylactic shock and had to be rushed from my house to the hospital by ambulance for yet another hospital stay within their family. Britny and William have another 7 months or so for their own overnight stays. Throughout all this, they have also been dealing with litigation regarding the former partner. They recently received a ruling, but will not see any money owed them until the guy is out of jail in ten years or so. They are dealing with shattered credit and debts incurred on the company's behalf that have now become their personal responsibility. They are great people and have met their challenges with a lot of optimism and character and they definitely deserve to have a break in their favor.



What is the point?



They have entered their adorable twins in a baby idol contest sponsored by a local radio station. The winner gets free diapers for a year!!! Given the amount and the cost of just Sis's diapers, I wince when I think of doubling the amount. It tends to be hard on a budget. There are over 800 entries at the moment and at this point it is just about who can garner the most votes from family and friends before they narrow it down to a more manageable ten. So I am sending out a plea on their behalf :-)



This isn't something where you have to sign up for junk email or to be added to a sponsor list. You simply follow the link, click on the twin's number: 590 (you don't have to scroll through all the pictures...), fill out a few fields with your name and info and click 'no' on receiving information from the sponsors and that's it! I did it over a week ago and have not received any junk mail or calls.

www.971zht.com/pages/babyidol10/

#590

Someone has to win, right?! It might as well be some really nice people with some genuinely gorgeous children. Think of it as good Karma. You do not have to be a resident of this state or even this country to enter and I promise it only takes a minute or two...The contest ends on Tuesday the 22nd. One entry per email.