Day 7

It is all over.  I can’t believe it!  We said goodbye to our Jersey family at 9:00.  Tears.  We checked our luggage in and got our boarding passes at 10;30, then went to have breakfast.  We were joined by half of our Wisconsin family.  Sadly, we missed two of them. L  We boarded the bus to the Orlando airport at 11:15.  We were safely settled back home by 8:30.  Grandma even picked up the dogs for Sam, so she didn’t have to wait another day to see them. 
We will never forget this trip.  It was an amazing experience, not only for what we did but for who we met.  All of these children are so inspirational!  It really makes you look at your life in a different perspective.
Thank you for reading along.  I am sorry that I didn’t post everyday, but we were just so busy.  If we weren’t off on a required function, we were bonding with other families.  It was basically bed time when we came back to our rooms.  I didn’t even watch any t.v. for the whole week. (gasp).
Love to all,
Erin

Day 6

Another exciting day!  Breakfast with the group at 8:00.  The kids were given signs with their state on them.  We lined up and entered the ballroom to applause by the corporate sponsors.  We went to our designated spot where we found a sign with her picture, name and state on it, a stamp with her signature, and a box with a CMNH cover.  For the next two hours, the corporate sponsors walked to each child and got them to stamp their book on the child’s own picture and gave them a pin.  I also went around and got Sam’s book signed.  What a great souvenir!  We also saw John Schnieder.  I got a picture of her with him!!!!! J  More of a thrill for me than her.
Then we had free time until 5:00, so we joined NJ and WI at the big pool.   Fun times!!!  I should mention that getting to the pool was oh, so difficult due to the bad blisters I have on my feet at this time.  Ouch!!!! 
At 5:00, we had a wonderful dinner together.  After that, the first surprise of the night showed up:  Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto had time for photo ops with everyone complete with special back drops!!  Then we once again lined up for the big ceremony.  We entered the room that was packed with sponsors, CMNH staff and media.  The room was rocking!!!  The MC came out to start the show.  It was Nick Cannon!!!  Jordin Sparks sang several songs, as well.  They were hyped backstage by Miss America and Mark Wills, introduced by Nick Cannon and presented with a medal by Delta employees.  It was quite an event!
Afterwards, we went to the pool for one last time together with our new friends.  I will sure miss them.  Sam and I left early and went through the convention center to our room.  On the way we passed Nick Cannon.  I introduced us and he visited for a few minutes.  Very nice!!!!  The new group, 4 Count, that he is promoting also introduced themselves and visited.  What an awesome end to an awesome day.  Sam was zonked and went straight to bed.
Erin

Day 5

We didn’t quite meet with Wisconsin as early as we had planned. We boarded a bus at about 8:40 for the Magic Kingdom and were there just as the doors were opening. First stop Tomorrowland. We went on a few rides and ran into some other CMNH families. New Jersey was participating in a special filming, so we didn’t get to hang with them until the afternoon. Wisconsin joined us while we were still in Tomorrowland. We stayed together most of the day.
Sam’s knees started hurting, so we got a wheelchair around 12:00. We watched a parade with the other Champions at 3:00 and participated in the Move it, Shake it experience at 5:40. Some of the men left after that along with Ari from NJ. We stayed with Janelle and Dejonna from WI and Lucianna and Brianna from NJ until 8:30. We separated after that and made it to the bus awning just before the downpour and the closing of the park.
And with that Day 5 was over.
Erin

Day 4

Day 4
Today was packed with exciting events!!!!
We had to be packed up with our luggage ready to be loaded by 9:30.  Once we were ready, we went to the Corner Bakery with Wisconsin and New Jersey for breakfast.  Sam, Luciana and I made a dash to a vendor for souvenirs while we waited for our food.  We arrived back at the hotel and awaited our walk to the White House.
We went through several stages of security and then WE WERE IN!!!!  It was fabulous.  I was in the Dish Room (American President reference) and many more.  We sat in the ballroom(?) and found out what events happen in there.  Then they got us situated for pictures with the President.  Yes, that’s right.  Because we were such a big group, we were split in two groups.  Each group had a picture with Mark, Miss American and President Obama.  But first Bo, the First Dog, made an appearance and posed for group pictures.   The kids went nuts!  President Obama came out and high fived the kids (and me and Byron) before the pictures.  He is standing just behind me and to my left in the pic.  Can’t wait to get our copy!!!!!!
Next it was time to board the buses to the Dulles tarmac and board a 767!!!  So awesome.  The kids watched t.v. on the plane.  We got a full meal on the plane.  Apparently, these are the special meals for chartered plane, like for NFL teams.  I had cheese ravioli with brocoli, a side salad, a dinner roll, and a piece of apple pie.  Yum!!
We were welcomed off the plane by Delta and CMNH employees with balloons and signs.  We boarded buses to our next stop…Coronado Springs Resort.  Sam was already wiped, but there was still more to come!
We could see the crowd before we got there.  Media, CMNH staff and corporate sponsors were waiting outside the motel for us.  It was quite a greeting.  Inside it was a carnival for the kids with animal balloons and giveaways.  We were interviewed by KRTV and greeted by Anastasia Burton from Shodair.  Finally, we went to our room, which was pretty cool.  We liked it better than the Marriot room.  Byron checked out the bar scene with the other half of his Bromance, Mitchell from NJ, while Sam and I went to see Wisconsin and plan tomorrow’s free day….Magic Kingdom, here we come!!!!
Erin

Day 3

Today was a free day and the latest we slept in all week….til 9:00 when WI Kiegan gave us a personal wake up call.  First on our agenda was the Holocaust Museum.  It’s a lot to take in.  Sam didn’t understand at first, but had a good education. 
Chico’s FAS had a gifting suite for mothers from 1:00-3:00, so Janelle and I went to check it out.  We got free jewelry and lotion.  There were 4 tables that we got to pick one product form each.  I got a small bottle of Soymilk and Orange Flower lotion, a really cool neutral tone necklace, blue earrings, and a multi-piece purple ring.  We also each received to CMNH braclets, one blue and one red.  Those are actually my favorite.
We then went and had excellent hamburgers and fries at Five Guys.  Sam did a phone interview with Katie Stukey from KRTV at 3:00.   By this time it was pouring, so we got a van ride from CMNH staff to the National Aquarium.  It was small, but enjoyable. 
We still  hadn’t seen some of the sights that we missed on Sunday, so we got another ride, this time to the Lincoln Memorial, so we could then walk back.  The Lincoln Memorial was bigger than we thought it would be.  We also saw the view of the Washington Monument I had been waiting for with the reflecting pool in front of it.  Awesome!!! 
Next stop was the Vietman Veteran’s Memorial.  WI Janelle got some awesome pictures of Byron at the wall with the Washington Monument in the background.  Very sobering to see how long this wall is and all of the names.  We had a nice walk back in the dark and another visit with some of the Secret Service Police…one of them was the same one we talked to on Sunday’s walk.
After a quick bite to eat, we went to the pool with our Wisconsin family.  Time for bed.  Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day!!!
Erin

Day 2

Day 2

Today began with breakfast in the ballroom where Mark Wills sang Don't Laugh at Me.  Wow!  From there we went Grant's Statue where group and individual photos of the Champions were taken.

Then we went to the Dirksen Senate Building.  We were to have a Congressional lunch. Unfortunately, legislature is not in session, so we did not hack congressmen. We had lunch with Rep. Denny Rehberg's legislative aide.  After lunch, we went to Sen. Max Baucus's office for a personal tour of the Capital Building by some interns.  We took a cab back the motel and had an early dinner.  Next, we took a well needed rest.

At 6:30, we arrived by bus at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which was shut down just for us.  We ad great desserts and smoothies.  

Throughout all of this we have talked to many wonderful families.  Shout-outs to Wisconsin, Colorado and New Jersey!

We are currently taking it easy and watching the Broncos hopefully pick it up a little bit.

Tomorrow is a free day.  We have a fun filled day planned with Wisconsin.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Erin, Sam, and Byron

DC Day 1

What a day!  We arrived at the airport at 5:00am. Sam was immediately treated like royalty. We were bumped to the front of the line, received special wings to give to the flight crew, we're moved to first class and received special attention from the pilots.

When we got to the connecting flight in Minneapolis, we met Dijonna and her family from Wisconsin (way cool).  We have been hanging out since then.  When we arrived in DC, we were welcomed off the plane by Delta staff and media.  We were soon joined by about 5 other families.  Then we all boarded a bus to the JW Marriott  at 1336 Pennsylvania Ave.  after finding our room, we went sightseeing with Wisconsin.  Along the way we passed Alabama and Vermont amongst others.  We also saw the Washington Monument, WWII Vetran's Memorial, the hotel in Ghostbusters and the White House.  Not bad for our first few free hours.

At 6:00, we had a Open House where we met with the other families for a little while, got some goodies and lanyards with name tags....oh and met Mark Wills.  More on that development tomorrow.

Now we are chilling in our room, where we ca see the Washington Monument.  Tomorrow is a busy congressional day that starts with breakfast at 8:00.  Hopefully I will be able to post some pix now from the iPod.  (I am typing the blog from the Pad.  Thanks Sam's Club).

Talk to you again tomorrow.

Erin

ONE MORE DAY!!!!!

We leave in 13 1/2 hours for the trip of a lifetime!!!!!  We are so excited for all we are going to experience and all of the people we are going to meet.  We hope to post pictures as well as blog what we did each day.  The agenda is as follows:
Sunday:
Leave at 6:00am
Arrive in DC around 2:00pm
Meet and Greet

Monday-Tuesday:  events in DC with congressment, free time to sight see and a possible White House Tour.

Wednesday:  Leave by chartered flight to Orlando

Thursday: Free time at the Magic Kingdom with our wonderful anchorwomen in tow.  (Shoutout to Katie and Shannon!)

Friday:  CMNH celebrations!!!

Saturday:  Leave at 2:00 to return home :(

Busy, busy!!!!!

We hope to hear from you, too!!!!

Erin on behalf of Sam and Byron

Sam's Launch

I know that we haven't posted in a long time.  So busy.  Sam had her launch at Walmart on May 15th.  It was amazing!!!  We had a limo ride from school with Miss Montana.  Sam walked down a red carpet recieving roses from dozens of Walmart employees.  She was presented with some wonderful gifts from Walmart and Sam's Club.  Mayor Winters also declared that day Samantha Faulkner Day.  We did some interviews and then Sam got to go shopping with the gift card she received from Walmart.  Such fun!!!!  I will attach a few pictures now.  I'll try to add more later.

Tomorrow is the CMNH telethon.  Very excited about this.  We are headed to Helena tonight for dinner and then to the telethon tomorrow.  Busy, busy!!!!

Erin (Sam's mom)

Coming up soon!!!!

With my permission, Sam is going to tell you about her experiences.
Erin (mom)

Today i'm going to meet with my friend Miss Montana and hang out. Then tomorrow i'm going to my launch. i'm excited. There are lots of surprises await. In my head i'm trying to guess what the surpries are.
-sam

Samantha's Story

Samantha
Age 10
Shodair Children's Hospital
Connective Tissue Disorder

Samantha loves spending time with the autistic children her mother works with and they love her too. She has a gift of making everyone around her feel loved and important. Her early trials have only deepened her natural empathy, wit and charm.

As a baby, Sam was diagnosed with collagenopathy, a condition that causes orthopedic, vision and hearing challenges. Determined not to let her disabilities get in the way of her success, Sam participates in sports and loves to draw, write, read and perform.

Though her condition is a life-long disease and will require ongoing treatment, Sam looks at the bright side of everything. She faces her future with an impressive energy and vigor. Always seeking to give back to others, Sam dreams of helping others as an OB/GYN doctor.

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Champions

Champions is a Children's Miracle Network Hospitals program that brings attention to the important work being done at its 170 children’s hospitals. It does this by honoring 54 remarkable kids who have faced severe medical challenges, and helping them tell their stories.

The Champions program designates a child in every state who has bravely battled a serious injury or illness. The Champions represent the 17 million children treated at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals every year. The 2012 Champions have dealt with a wide variety of injuries and illnesses including genetic diseases, organ transplants and traumas, as well as various types of cancer.

The Champions travel for a week in September, first to Washington, D.C., where they traditionally meet with their state representatives on Capitol Hill and visit the White House. They then take a private chartered flight, provided by Delta Air Lines, to Orlando, Fla. While there, Champions meet Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals corporate partners, hospital representatives and media partners. These groups convene to celebrate a year of medical miracles during the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Celebration event at Walt Disney World Resort.