This has been one BUSY week and this weekend lived up to the crazy week ahead of it. But everything we did was a lot of fun. Here's a little rundown:
FRIDAY: Pizza Night for our moms group at church. We had a fundraiser at Round Table Pizza to help raise money towards our speakers and scholarships. Part of the "deal" with Round Table is that we have to bus our own tables. I signed up to help bus tables between 6:30-7:30, however there wasn't many of our own tables to bus. So I started busing other peoples. And Jake was my helper. He went back and forth from trying to play games to helping pick up trash and throwing it away. He was cute. I even bussed this one random guy's table who then asked me if I worked there. lol Anyways, after all the tables were cleared of dirty dishes, drinks and pizza pans, I then got irritated because the tables were still full of crumbs. So I asked for a wet rag and started wiping everything down. Then I noticed the salad bar had Ranch drippings and salad bits on it...so I washed that down too. Then I got yelled at from my other Moms Group friends. Here's a pic they grabbed at the end -- Prego Jenn with a grumpy Jake on her hip, rag in hand and the trashcan nearby! :) 
SATURDAY: This is a day D and I have looked forward to for awhile. Two of D's coworkers, Steve and Vanessa, were recently diagnosed with cancer. Steve is battling Pancreatic Cancer at a Cancer Research hospital in Texas while Vanessa is battling Leukemia at City of Hope. Because LASD is really a big family, the deputies put together a HUGE Motorcycle Benefit Ride to raise money to support Steve and Vanessa. The really neat thing is that the money goes directly to help with whatever the deputies and their families need -- money to pay for mortgages, food, utilities...etc. Hundreds came out for the ride (at one point, we had a 5 mile stretch of bikers) and they raised THOUSANDS of dollars. I found myself getting teary-eyed whenever I thought that all these people were here to just help support two individuals. Amazing. Another really awesome part is that Darrin was the "pace" car which meant he lead the entire pack.....and I got to sit along side of him! :) He even was able to drive the department's "show car" Camaro. It has a light bar and everything. :) It was so much fun and I LOVED being able to see D in his element, doing the radio traffic the entire time. I'm always in awe of him when I see him doing "cop stuff". Wow....he's, like, a cop who takes charge and knows stuff. :) :) After the ride (which took place from Baldwin Park to Long Beach - yea there was a lot of coordination that went on to shut down 3 freeways and part of Lakewood and Long Beach) they had a big car show at the Long Beach Holiday Inn. All in all, it was an awesome day and we raised tons of money to help out two well-deserving warriors. To find out more about Steve, Vanessa and the Ride, you can check out their website at www.LakewoodBenefitRide.net
SUNDAY: Today we got to honor another (actually several) warriors. Darrin's godsister, Kaitlyn, has been dating Erik for awhile. He was serving in Afghanistan this summer when he was severely injured by an IED. Erik lost both legs, 4 fingers on one hand and had major trauma to his other arm. When the IED exploded, it actually blew him backwards into a river. They said that if he would have been blown straight up, he would not have survived. Erik's been in Texas recovering but came to California this week to welcome his unit back home. What a joyous homecoming day that'll be. I remember D's homecoming like yesterday and I can't imagine the emotions that'll be felt tomorrow. Today, though, KK's family has a birthday party for KK as well as a SURPRISE Welcome Home party for Erik. Some of Erik's buddies who were also injured in Iraq came as well. One was also involved in Erik's accident and another one lost his leg in a separate IED explosions. It was pretty wonderful to be able to give Erik a hug and and just be in the presence of such American Heroes. We are so thankful for your service and sacrifice. Works just cannot express our gratitude. Semper Fi Marines, and Welcome Home.
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