Match Time!

We are eagerly awaiting a special email from Rosalie's very own service dog! Tomorrow (or rather today) is the first possible day that we will get to know which dog has been specially trained just for her. 4 Paws works extremely hard to make sure the matches are perfect. It could be a few days yet, but I really hope it's tomorrow.

I can't believe the long wait is almost over. I am actually pretty emotional over this. I am not a big crier but I get tears in my eyes just thinking about getting the email in the next couple of days. The more I learn about what these service dogs are doing for kids all over the country, the more excited and hopeful I am for the results we will see with Rosalie.

We have a long trip ahead of us. We leave this coming Sunday and are planning to be in Fargo, ND on Monday night. We are doing a little visiting in Minnesota and Wisconsin next week. Then we leave for the Dayton, OH area on Friday night next week. We arrive in Dayton in the morning of August 3rd. We will have Saturday and Sunday to get our bearings, grocery shop, and relax before class starts.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Class starts Monday August 5th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the kids are excited too. Rosalie tries to leave every time we mention her dog. She also says, "In a minute," when asked about her dog. Kaylin is such a great sister and has an excitement as well as seriousness about the whole concept of a service dog. Holden and Malachi both keep asking if it's Sunday yet. :-)

We have a Facebook group for all the families getting their service dogs this August. We are all going crazy waiting for our matches. There are many stories of people sitting at their computers all day and refreshing email every 5 minutes. It's been good to get to know these families through Facebook over the last year. They are a big part of the journey to Rosalie's service dog. I can't wait to meet them all.

Thanks again for all your support. We couldn't be here without all of you.

Be on the look out for a letter from Rosalie's dog and a picture, too!

-Shawna

Fundraiser Success!!!

We had a GREAT fundraiser this past Tuesday at Naked Pizza in Kent! Thank you everyone who came out to have some tasty pizza and participate in our silent auction.

We were able to raise $2383 from the auction and cash donations!!!!!! Naked Pizza is connecting with me on Monday with the total they are giving us.

This means we have raised $3263 of our $7000 goal! (And we don't even know how much we are getting from Naked Pizza yet!)

Thank you again and please continue to get the word out about Rosalie and her dog. We still have a few days left to meet our goal. Keep in mind EVERY bit helps. You can donate here NOW or by giving a gas card, grocery card, restaurant card, etc.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-Shawna

Big Fundraiser Tomorrow!

I'm so excited about our trip to go get Rosalie's service dog. We leave in less than two weeks!!!!!!!!

We are talking with Rosalie more and more about getting HER dog. Every time we mention it, she lights up and starts saying "in a minute." I almost feel bad bringing it up because she wants to leave right away when we talk about it. I still want her to know we are going though. I want her to get excited. Her being interested in the dog is a good step in her forming a strong bond with her dog.

We still have a lot to raise to help cover the travel expenses to drive to Ohio. Come on out to Naked Pizza in Kent Station tomorrow, July 16th between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Have some pizza and bid on some auction items. I will be there most of the day. Rosalie will come at 5 p.m. for the evening. Can't wait to see you all there!

If you can't make it to the event tomorrow, you can still help out! Donate here now!

-Shawna

Fundraising Event!

Rosalie Jewett Fundraising Event!

Tuesday, July 16th, all day! 11am to 9pm.

Come on out to Naked Pizza at Kent Station. They are donating a portion of their proceeds to Rosalie's trip expenses! There will also be a silent auction, giveaways, fun and a special visit from Rosalie herself!

If you can't make it to the event, please, please consider donating to this great cause! Here's the link to her fundraising site: Rosalie donation site. They are needing to raise $7000 in the next 4 weeks, so your help is greatly appreciated! :-)

You can come eat and drink anytime that day and help Rosalie and her family travel to Xenia, Ohio to pick up her special service dog. You can also donate on site with a donation jar which goes directly to her travel expenses! For more explanation on where, what, who is involved in this amazing trip, see the previous blog post here!

So, to recap:
1. Come to Naked Pizza anytime on July 16th (11am to 9pm) and eat pizza and stuff and enjoy a special time of fun, prizes, drawings, silent auction, another opportunity to donate, etc.

2. If you can't make it, please consider donating directly through Rosalie's donation website.

3. Please, please share this information with your friends and family! Every donation helps... big or little!

4. Or do ALL of these; come to the event, make a donation and tell your friends!

Let us know if you have any questions and we hope to see you there!

Dog Pick-Up Fundraising

Hi Everyone,

In just under 4 weeks we leave for Ohio to meet and receive Rosalie's service dog! We are driving with the whole family to finally add this new member to our family. We are fundraising to help cover travel, lodging, and dog related expenses. We will be in Ohio for two whole weeks taking an intensive class with Rosalie's new service dog.

Our fundraising goal is $7000. We need to have it all raised by July 25th!

Things to donate.

• Cash (use donation link to the right.)
• Gas Cards (Chevron, Shell, Texaco, 76, etc)
• Grocery gift cards (Dorothy Lane Market, Trader Joe's, Kroger)
• Restaurant gift cards (Starbucks, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, other midwest favorites :-)
• Other helpful gift cards (Walmart, Target, Costco, etc.)

More ways to help.

• Tell ALL your friends! Every little bit counts.
• Use the link on the right side of this page to donate directly to Rosalie through YouCaring.com
• Facebook, Email, Text, Call, etc.
• Snail mail to 6424 S 236th Pl, Kent, WA 98032

Thank you!
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Shawna

If you're curious, here's the breakdown.
$3449---Hotel in Dayton, Ohio.
$1336---Estimated gas cost. (We will be driving a total of 5126 miles including back and forth to class while we are in Ohio. We will need 366.1 gallons of gas and based our estimate on $3.65 per gallon. This estimate does NOT include trips to grocery stores or restaurants, trips to a store for a forgotten item, or to somewhere like a park for the kids, etc.)
$618---Estimated hotel cost on the way to and from Ohio.
$483---Estimated cost for dog supplies. (crate, bowls, toys, combs/brushes, mutt matts, leashes, etc.)
$400---Estimated cost for dog upon arriving home. (vet, food, grooming, treats, etc.)
$0---Corey's mom's (Ann) flight. This has already been donated by Ann!
The rest will be used for food on our trip.

Trip Info: Part 2

Hello again!

More trip details are included in this post.  This is the exciting part.  If you haven’t caught up on recent posts, you should check out THIS ONE and of course THIS OTHER ONE.  They both have important (and fun!) news.

So, here we get into some of the nitty-gritty...

The Jewett family is going to be driving across the US from Washington to get to the dog class in Xenia, Ohio.  This means they’ll be driving with four kids (yes, all of them are coming along), three adults, and one dog on the way back.  The drive is 5,126 miles round trip.

WHEW!  It’s going to be really really fun.  It’s going to be crazy.  It’s going to be tiring, and it’s going to be messy.  All these things are certainties.  Yes, there will probably also be some bickering and a lot of questions like, “Are we there yet?” and, “Can I have my snack?”  And you better believe we’ll mapping our rest stops according to Starbucks locations (kind of joking, kind of not).

But, even with all the “hard” parts, there will also be some visits with family, and special sight-seeing and miscellaneous stops along the way.  It's not going to be a straight drive-all-the-way-through kind of trip.

So, if you haven’t guessed already, we’re going to be fundraising to help pay for the trip.  Expenses to drive with everyone isn’t cheap, but seriously, who doesn’t love a nice summer road trip?

The Homewood Suites hotel in Xenia has already been booked for the two week dog class, and it’s a pretty nice place...

• 2 bedrooms with kitchenettes
• full breakfast each morning
• dinner four nights a week
• same hotel that most of the 4 Paws families will stay (BONUS!)
• (obviously) allows service animals

If you want to make donations towards our accommodations, you can contact Homewood Suites and speak with Steven Brown (4Paws Sales Manager) or Brian Wipprecht (General Manager).

Also, Ann Jewett (sometimes referred to as Corey’s Mom, or Grandma Ann) is coming on the trip as well.  She will be flying in--she's scheduled to arrive the weekend before the dog class starts.

So basically, we’re all excited to be a part of this adventure, and we can’t wait for Rosalie to finally meet her dog the first day.  Please be praying for all the details of the trip... from safe travels, to no car troubles, to inexpensive gas prices, and of course, good attitudes the whole way!

Thanks so much for checking in with the progress of this journey--we’re so thankful for you!

Trip Info: Part 1

Hi again!

Ha, I bet you’re reading this post thinking something like this, “Oh, I thought she wasn’t serious about posting something soon, guess she showed ME!”  Well, if you’re not, that’s fine too.  It’s not like I’m the best mind-reader.

By the way, if you missed our awesome update from a few days ago, you should catch up with your homework and check out THIS POST.  Okay, you’ve read up on everything?  Awesome-sauce.  I think you’re ready for the next step... it’s pretty epic--hold on!

So, not only is this whole adventure becoming a reality for the Jewett family, but it’s also becoming a reality to me personally.  Because--

WAIT FOR IT...

I get to go with them!

Hooray!  I get to road trip along with two adults, four kids, and a new dog back and forth across the country in the summertime.  If you think I’m being sarcastic about being excited, then you haven’t seen my iPhone full of pictures and videos of Rosalie, Kaylin, Holden, and Malachi... they take up about 90% of my picture storage.  In other words, I’m pretty crazy about them.  Oh yeah, and I kind of like Shawna.  And Corey’s good too.

It’s going to be a fun trip, and honestly, I can’t wait!  Basically I’ll be doing whatever needs to be done... whether it’s kid activities, driving for a stretch or two (or eight), unloading the van at hotels, telling bedtime stories, going to the grocery store, etc.

Okay, that’s all the epic news you can handle at this moment, but I promise there will be more to come... so check back with the blog soon--more trip details to follow!  And don’t forget to pass this info on to all your friends, acquaintances, and people you’ve barely met--the more support we have, the better!

Thanks for stopping by... until next time!

P.S. By the way, I’d love to hear helpful tips about traveling with kids... mostly because I haven’t been on this long of a car trip with a family for 13 years. :D