November 10, 2024

Man what a weekend, my hunter didn't see any deer, but hopefully we can redeem ourselves when we go after a bear next weekend.

Nov. 16

bear hunt

What a morning in Maple Hill NC Angola Bay Busters Brear Club. We had Rayden in the blind at five AM looking for a chance at his first Black Bear. We had a bear on the peanuts when we arrived and stayed the hour and twenty minutes till legal shooting light. Two minutes after he put a shot on him but hit him in the shoulder. The club showed up in force and put the dogs on him. Fifteen minutes the dogs had him bayed right off the road. He rolled the track chair and put a great shot and down he came!!!!! Congratulations Rayden on a 150LB NC Black Bear. Thanks to Brian Marshburn from Gobbles and Grunts Chapter of Guiding Kids in Gods Creation for helping out and providing breakfast for all involved.

October 10-13, 2024 "Dream Hunt in Louisiana"

On September 17, I received an email by the Dream Hunt Foundation inviting Rayden to deer hunt in Shreveport, Louisiana. They would absorb the cost of the entire weekend, including the flight, rental car, food, hotel, etc. This invitation was made even more special when they asked to film the entire weekend, creating an episode that will air on TV. 

What a weekend!! Brandy Garison was so thorough and planned everything wonderfully. We sure felt like celebrities when Connor Floyd met us at the airport to start filming for the episode.

Registration began at 3pm Friday where we met our cameraman and guide, Dalton. After the private interview, they took a deep dive into the backpack. It was filled to the brim with hunting essentials, a Dream Hunt t-shirt and hat, snacks, and more. Dalton showed Rayden the gun they planned to hunt with before heading down the hill for some target practice.    

We met some wonderful people, ate some traditional Louisiana food, and even squeezed in a little shopping. Rayden fell in love with his guide, Dalton Gould and by the end of the weekend he was following him and copying his every move. Rayden was able to harvest a giant doe, his first Louisiana deer! The memories he made will last a lifetime!! It was an amazing experience!! I can never thank Dream Hunt Foundation enough for making this unforgettable experience possible for Rayden. A special thank you to the land owners, guides, film crew, cooks, volunteers…EVERYONE!! I pray you continue to bless children with these unforgettable memories.

September 21 & 28, 2024 "Deer Hunts"

        September 21-Crossbow Deer Hunt

Rayden practiced a lot throughout the week preparing for the crossbow hunt. When the day finally arrived, he felt prepared. He put seven hours in the stand! He didn't see anything that morning, but the evening hunt was a little more adventurous. An absolute boss, eight point stepped out to the corn. He raised his head, spun around, and returned the way he came, not presenting a shot!!!! Rayden was super disappointed but lesson learned; "they don't get that big by being stupid."

                                                                                                September 28-Delway Deer Hunt

The guys spent another entire afternoon trying to harvest a deer with no luck. Mr. Craig Richardson was his guide this time, and he sure had a wonderful set up. The stand/blind had comfy chairs, carpet, and lots of windows. Rayden was particularly talkative while hunting. Mr. Richardson told him that he needed to be like a ninja (quite and stealthy). The funny part is; Rayden said a ninja is a motorcycle (and he's just like that!). At lunch, everyone even took the time to present me with a cake while singing Happy Birthday.

September 9 & 15, 2024 " Two more seizures, #18 & 19""

Sept. 4 I had a phone conference with Dr. Mary Ann Chiodo, pediatrician, about Rayden waking up scared several times throughout the night. He's been real agitated and moody lately, and falling asleep in class as well. I was wondering if we needed to increase his ADHD/anxiety medication. 

Sept. 9 Rayden had another seizure today after school. He was sitting on the sofa and started screaming, this unbelievable, agonizing scream! He was holding the right side of his head. His eyes were glassy and he was gagging like he was going to vomit. He was alert and able to talk a tiny bit but then he quickly clinched his teeth and started convulsing. I gave him the Valtoco within 2 min of onset (as soon as I could grab it and get it open). He was on his side and stopped breathing. Michael called 911 while I did sternum rub and kept telling him I was here and he was ok. His lips turned blue, but he came out of it pretty quickly. The paramedics checked him out and he was ok. This is the first one since Nov. 4. 

Sept. 11 Rayden got written up in school today for hitting a little girl two times on her head with an ipad! He was trying to talk to her, and got upset when she didn't respond. This is definitely not normal behavior for him. Luckily, the little girl wasn't hurt. She didn't cry or even tell the teacher. The teacher just happened to see it herself. I made him write her an apology letter, verbally apologize to her and his teacher, and took his ipad away for an entire week. He seemed to understand why he was being punished and accepted it. 

I began researching the symptoms he was having before the seizure. I found that a prodrome (beginning phases of a seizure) is a feeling people have prior to experiencing a seizure. This may happen weeks or days before a seizure. It can include unusual sensations or emotions, a sense of extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, anxiety, light-headedness, difficulty focusing, and behavior changes. That explains everything!! 

Sept. 15 Rayden had another seizure tonight. We were finishing up a movie before bed, he was laying on the couch, and had fallen asleep. I heard a noise and looked over to she him convulsing. I yelled his name, but, of course, no answer. He had foam (liquid) coming out of his mouth and nose! I gave the Valtoco and Alex called 911. His seizure watch did not work! Luckily we were sitting right there and saw it. What if he was already in bed and I didn't know? This terrifies me. He slept with us the remainder of the week until his neurologist decided to increase his medication. 

September 7, 2024 "KFO Dove Hunt and G&G Banquet"

Despite the rainy weather, everyone had a blast at the 7th Annual Kitty Fork Outdoors/Veteran Family Dove Hunt. Twenty five families spent the day hunting, shooting, socializing, and meeting new animal friends.

We left the dove hunt after lunch to make it to the Gobbles & Grunts Annual Banquet. I gave a big speech about how wonderful the organization is, what they mean to us, and how much they do for children. After enjoying a large meal, the auction and raffle began. It is fun to see how much each item will end up going for. Rayden won a handgun, ghillie suit, gloves, and game camera in the raffle. When the crowd realized the winning gun ticket belonged to Rayden, they all started clapping. It was so heartwarming.

July 18, 2024 "Miracle League"

This is the second year Rayden has played on the Miracle League in Dunn. He truly enjoys playing baseball, but his favorite part is meeting new people. We are very thankful to his 'fan club' for faithfully supporting him. ⚾ 

  

July 13, 2024 "Summer Happenings"

June 8 Rayden has been asking to help Daddy and Alex with the yard work for a while now. This kid has always loved to help work! I'm sure it will subside one day, but for now, we encourage his determination. We don't feel comfortable with him using the lawn mower or weed eater yet, so we bought him a light weight leaf blower. He could hardly wait to get out there and blow the grass clippings off the driveway. He 'had' to have safety glasses, and ear buds like Daddy and Alex too! 

 

June 15 Gobbles & Grunts 4th Annual David Henderson Memorial Pan Fishing Tournament. There were a total of 35 boats in the competition on the Cape Fear River. We caught a lot of pan fish, but not enough to place. Michael was in the running for biggest trash fish when he caught a blue catfish weighing in at 4lb. 13oz. The winner's fish was 4lb. 13.5oz. So close! 

June 18-19 Rayden participated in the 4H Pond Monsters Challenge Fishing Tournament. Thank you Gobbles & Grunts for allowing him to borrow your track chair this time. The fish at Taste of Heaven Campground were not very active in the heat, but everyone managed to catch a few small ones. Rayden won second place with 2.75lbs, bringing home a new rod and reel, hoodie, and tackle. First place was very close with 3.0lbs.    

 

June 26-July 13 Rayden developed an interest in growing things when he planted and nurtured a flower at school for Mother's Day. Daddy and Alex built him a little (above ground) garden. Even though we got a late start, we were able to get some produce out of it. 

May 18, 2024 "Spring Happenings"

Rayden is one busy fellow! We are working hard to make memories and focus on the joys of life. 

April 8-Solar Eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse

April 10 Special Olympics

April 13 Judging Shriner's Clown Competition 

April 19 Playground Fun

May 2 Field Day 

May 18 Gobbles & Grunts Fun Day

  Rayden has actually been feeling really good since we returned from Disney World. He no longer complains every day about his legs/back hurting. He doesn't ask for his wheelchair. It seems as if his pain is gone. Therefore, we decided to cancel his tethered cord surgery in June. Thank you God for answering our prayers. 💙 

April 6, 2024 "Turkey Hunt"

Rayden harvested his very first turkey this morning! It’s a fabulous bird too! Thanks so much to Kitty Fork Outdoors, Jeff and Dana Jones, Gerome Heath, Ty Hunter, Hunter Britt and Alex. Everyone put their heart and prayers into this hunt and we can’t thank them all enough!

You can feel the excitement of everyone in the blind when this Tom turkey came running toward the decoy. He put on a good show, attacking the decoy over and over with his giant spurs. The guys tried to be so quiet loading the gun, that when Rayden tried to take the shot it didn't fire properly. This happened several times. Even though the turkey heard the clicks, he never left! It was like God told this Tom he was going to be Rayden's trophy today, no matter what, so he just waited. When Rayden fired the shot, the turkey jumped up and tried to fly to the woods. He only made it to the edge before landing. Another Tom turkey came running toward him. When Hunter and Ty got to the shot turkey, he was being attacked by the second Tom! Rayden, Alex, and Uncle G were sitting at the blind waiting for the results. When they held up Rayden's trophy turkey, he couldn't contain his excitement. He began to run across the field. Of course, this wasn't very successful, so Alex picked him up and carried him over to see his kill. Everyone was bubbling with pride!

 

After taking some measurements, and pictures at Jeff and Dana Jones house, we decided to drive Rayden and his prize turkey to Greenville for the 2024 Youth Pirate Classic.

WINNER, WINNER!!! Rayden’s Turkey won 9th place out of 61 over all. He was the 4th heaviest bird!! (286 kids signed up)

March 9-12, 2024 "Iguana Hunting and Peacock Bass Fishing"

Capt. Brett Isackson took the guys out for a 6 hour Iguana and Peacock Bass outdoor adventure. Rayden was super excited. He loved EVERY SINGLE THING about this day; shooting pellet riffles, fishing, riding a boat, being outside, and spending time with his favorite people. Actually killing 6 iguana and catching 6 Peacock Bass were just icing on the cake. We had to purchase a large, styrofoam cooler to transport their trophies home for mounting and cooking. They cooked the iguana many different ways; fried, grilled, and sauced. Everyone said it was surprisingly good and tasted like chicken or frog legs. 

Plantation, Florida

 

March 1-8, 2024 "Disney Vacation"

I can't put this week into words. After such a horrible experience last year, I am relieved to report we had a MAGICAL TIME at Disney World. "Give Kids the World" provided Rayden with Memory Maker (all photos taken on site), 3 park tickets each (child and parents), and a Wish Pass (preventing us from standing in long lines). Between the Wish Pass and DAS Pass we didn't have to stand in line at all! We were able to ride everything we wanted (sometimes twice), and went straight to the front of every character meet and greet line as well. AMAZING!!! We had reservations to eat with characters at the Garden Grill at Epcot, Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, Chef Mickey's on our rest day, Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom, and 50's Prime Time at Hollywood Studios. We also attended the Fantasmic Fireworks show at Hollywood Studios and had premier seating at Magic Kingdom, directly in front of the castle, for the Post-Fireworks Dessert Party. 

We were worried about Rayden driving a scooter around in such large crowds, but we certainly didn't want to push him the entire time either. He wasn't old enough to drive Disney's scooters, so we brought Nanny's personal one instead. He was a remarkable driver. He followed me around, drove slowly, and didn't run into anyone...but me!