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Grin Kids, Part II

During the summer I wrote about applying to a special program called Grin Kids, an organization that raises money to send chronically disabled and terminally ill children and their families to Disney World. I have been waiting for a photo to go with this post, but seems like the photo is lost so here it is sans photo.

On July 30, Ben's 7th Birthday, we were on our family vacation at Atlantic Beach, NC. Ryan had heard in Charlotte that Ace & TJ, the radio talk show hosts, who started Grin Kids, would be in Atlantic Beach sometime this summer. Ryan thought we had missed the weekend, but in listening to the local station I realized that we were exactly on time.

Let me digress for a moment about my star struck husband. Ryan recently came home so excited about meeting Muggsy Bogues at the gas station. Muggsy was a well known NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets during their hay day in the late 1980's and early 1990's. He was most known for his height - 5'3". Ryan's excitement could not be contained. He got to shake Mugsy's hand - it was a big deal.

Back to the beach. When I told Ryan that we did not miss Ace & TJ and that we could go to a "Meet and Greet" that very night for Ben's birthday, Ryan got nervous and almost backed out. He shared with me that he listens to them every morning and knows all there is to know about the show. (Married 12 years and the man still surprises me.) When we got there, I could tell Ryan was seriously unnerved. To take the pressure off, Ben and I went ahead into the restaurant to get a table while Ryan stayed behind with Logan and Sean at the outside playground.

When Ben and I walked into the outdoor beach restaurant, Ben was an instant celebrity. Ace & TJ and their whole crew surrounded him, took photos, asked about our family. And when they heard it was Ben's birthday, the attention was intensified. I have to admit, it was fun. It felt like the paparazzi had descended. Ben had the best look on his face - clearly he was savoring the attention. I casually mentioned that my husband was over at the playground and a big fan of their show. Immediately, Ace, TJ and Yankee Pete made their way over there.

Needless to say, Ryan was tongue tied when all three walked over to him. We had a great time that night - a perfect birthday celebration for Ben.

As for Ben getting accepted to the Disney Adventure...not this year. We will apply again for next year.

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