A Huge Success!!!

As we were setting up, one of my former students walked by! She was one of the students who came and sang at our wedding...Now she's going into 5th grade!!!! It was so good to see her :)

My brother, Blair, singing the National Anthem.
The first lap of the night - The survivor lap. My dad walked proudly with other cancer survivors.
The lady in the middle, by the man in red, is my friend Cherie. I worked with her when I was teaching in Inver Grove Heights. She, too, is a survivor.
The second lap was for the caregivers. My godfather, Bill, and his son, Josh, walked this lap. They were at Gayle's side 100% of the time when she was sick.

(Just before I snapped this picture, someone on the side handed Josh a handful of caramel corn...Hence, the face :))

My mom also walked the caregiver lap. She walks alongside my dad.

The 3rd lap was for the entire team, but I was doing other things. Natalie walked (or strolled) this lap. When she came back, she was wiped out!

Sam, Blair, and my dad. It doesn't surprise me that Sam and Blair are doing the "see-food" pose. I think they were sleep deprived already!

My mom and Shanna.

Our team: The Dukes of Eral. We had a bake sale on-site and raised quite a bit!!

Sam and me.

Bill and me.

At dusk, we had a luminaria lighting ceremony. Throughout the night, these luminarias were the only light we had. It was breathtaking to see hundreds of them lining the track and some even spelled out words such as "HOPE" and "CURE."

Josh, Gayle's son and his girlfriend Jamie.

Shanna and Blair.

Halfway through the night, the "HOPE" changed to "CURE." If it wouldn't have rained, the word then would have been changed to "LOVE."

I am so proud of our team. We raised $4,435! We did a fantastic job and had a great time! This will definitely be an annual event for us. Thank you to all of you who supported us and made a donation. You made a difference and one day there will be a cure!

**The balloon hats were worn to remember Gayle. Josh found a picture of Gayle wearing a balloon hat and that has been our theme...Our shirts had the picture of her screenprinted on them and we all wore the hats. We definitely had attention drawn to us, but it was well worth it!