Hey Springfield! On July 18th, about 11 Springfielders and the Colons headed down to Six Flags for an EPIC time...a ten page essay would not be able to describe just how amazing it was. Since writing isn't quite my forte, here's a bulleted list of memories - and I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface!
- Going on the wild safari trip with the Colons, and Martha and taking pictures of the animals: "They look like chicken nuggets with legs." -Victor describing a buffalo.
- Going on all the awesome rollercoasters with Megan and Tito - Nitro, The Dark Knight, Batman, Superman Ultimate Flight, the Great American Scream machine, and El Toro!
- Taking Victor and Xander on some of the kiddie rides and still having a blast!
- Gabbie and Jeff getting over their fear of rollercoasters...true Springfielders indeed!
- Getting soaked on the water rides...and Victor jumping in water fountains for more . . . then hugging people while he was all wet!
- Getting soaked by Victor after he threw water on all of us.
- The fireworks at the end of an incredible day!
Be sure to check out some of the photos on Springfield's Facebook profile - they definitely tell the story better than I do. And while you're at it, FRIEND SPRINGFIELD! Anyways, I am writing this the day before I leave for Singapore, so I just wanted to reminisce on how the Colon's trip truly reminded us of what it means to be a part of the Springfield family. Megan couldn't have put it in better words: "Thanks to you guys, Xavier's memory lives on forever. We truly consider all of Springfield our family." What is the definition of family? It is a group of people who share their triumphs and tragedies together. Springfield has experienced the tragic loss of Xavier Colon and, more recently, Emily Trump. Yet through these losses, or maybe because of them, we remind ourselves that we are a family and with their memory we continue to "dream forward".
See you guys next year,
Alice Lee
Renata’s End-of-Treatment Party
Springfielders went out to Shippensburg on July 5th to attend Renata’s End-of-Treatment party, and in true Springfield form, IT WAS EPIC! Here is a list of things of epic proportions:
- The buffet. Celeste and Tim definitely outdid themselves...there was so much food! I was in line for food and Celeste gave me my options—I could either have a quarter of a chicken, or a half of a chicken. That is in addition to the delicious mac and cheese, potato salad, baked beans, pickles, fruit platter, and veggie tray. Yummy.
- The rope ladder. The ladder was tricky, if you didn’t balance your body weight correctly or get yourself up fast enough, it would flip, hurling you into the ground. Many a Springfielder attempted to conquer the rope ladder, and many failed. I have several action-shots of Vinay wiping out. Tim was a pro, and of course Abel even got up on his first try (I have a video, it’s kind of adorable).
- Candy Scramble. Imagine over a dozen youngsters fighting tooth and nail, racing each other to collect as much candy as they can from a huge pile in a circular patch of grass. It was epic. Afterward, Abel was very excited about his whistle pop.
- Duck-duck-goose. Renata’s cousins were wearing me out playing tag, I was wheezing and they were just running me over. It was not a fair match-up! After grabbing a quick soda to rejuvenate myself, I suggested duck-duck-goose and there was a fairly enthusiastic response. A Springfielder “goosed” Renata who proceeded to run around the circle, and then THROUGH it. She then jetted off towards the swingset to the general bewilderment of everyone watching.
- THIS IS SPARKA! We had been trying all day to get Abel to do a repeat performance of “This is Sparka!” like he did on the last family visit. The day was coming to an end and we were determined to get him to say it for the camera. We tried bribing him with allowing him to shove ice-cream cones into Jeff and Justin’s faces, but he wasn’t going for it. Finally, Tim promised him a ride on the combine, and he was so excited. He screamed it at the top of his lungs. Of course, it was adorable.
As I said, the party was epic. It reminded me of how lucky we as Springfielders are to have such beautiful little angels for THON children. It was an amazing day in the sunshine, with our happy, healthy little girl Renata.
-Gabbie Gort
Labels: bye bye ALL, family, Renata's end of treatment, six flags
