I am so sorry that it took so long to get a new chapter posted. Things have been absolutely insane for the last several months! Our moving nightmare that I told you all about finally got a little bit better. The holes in my dining room ceiling STILL have yet to be fixed. We had another leak happen, and the apartment complex had to send in a contractor and his crew to rip out our upstairs bathroom, fix the plumbing, then put it all back together. I also have two kids doing virtual school, which takes up most of my day. Our school district is actually really chill, so the kids only have school for a couple hours a day. They basically go from 9am-12pm with a few minutes for breaks between the different classes, then they go down for naps from 12-2 and then do homework from 3pm-5pm. It's really not too bad, but it's very time consuming having two kids in two different grades, who both have classes at the exact same time, and both need your help. Then, on top of all that, I've been REALLY sick! I started getting sick back around I believe October? Maybe September? I think it was October. It started as a cold, then progressively got worse. I think I've now had around 10 different Covid tests, and finally tested positive January 19th. The doctors actually had no idea what was wrong with me for months. I was just sick. They thought it was cold, then bronchitis, then in November, the doctor swore that I had Covid, even though two back to back Covid tests came back negative. Then I got an antibody test a few weeks later, which was also negative. But I was sooooooooo sick! I had all the symptoms; high fever, coughing, chills, my heart rate would drop really low, then spike, then drop again. My oxygen dropped into the 80s, and I should have been hospitalized, except that without a positive covid test, my husband's boss refused to let him miss work, and I had to be home with our kids. It was REALLY bad! Like really really bad. My husband will tell you that there were a couple of days that he thought that I wasn't going to make it through it. He was completely terrified of losing me. I was put on antibiotic after antibiotic, and the doctor drew a ton of blood and ran all kinds of tests, trying to figure out what was going on. The only thing that came back on the tests was Mycoplasma, which is Walking Pneumonia. I kept taking the antibiotics, 7-10 days at a time, and I would start to feel better, but then two weeks later, the sickness came back with a vengeance. Finally, on December 30th, the doctor finally gave me one last antibiotic, and told me that they couldn't help me anymore. They had done everything that they possibly could, but I just wasn't getting any better, so I needed to find an infectious disease doctor to figure out what was going on. Gee, thanks for the help! So once again, I finished off the antibiotics, and then shocker, I got sick again! My husband was sick too, and obviously, whatever I had, he had too. With Covid spiking in our area, my husband decided to have work send him for testing. We had been talking to a close friend who is an ER nurse, and like the doctor, she swore that I had been dealing with Covid. Unfortunately, the tests to determine Covid are pretty much crap, and there is around a 70% false negative rate, which is absolutely ridiculous! So anyway, we had spent so much money on my medical treatment already, so my husband decided to save us a co-pay, and go see the work doctor. Turns out, hubby tested positive for Covid, and his chest xray came back showing full blown pneumonia. Freaking fabulous! Two hours after he got home from the doctor, I finished up with the kids virtual school for the day and then headed in to see hubby's work doctor for testing. I tested positive as well, with my chest xray also showing pneumonia. Seriously you guys, we have NEVER been so sick! Two weeks ago, I was laying on the couch one night as my husband was gasping for breath, coughing his guts out in the recliner next to me, where he slept for 2 weeks straight because he couldn't breathe lying down, praying to God, begging him to not take my husband. It was seriously traumatizing! We both should have been in the hospital that day. His oxygen was at 91 and he had a fever of 102.6. It was BAD! We should have been hospitalized, with him on a vent. The ONLY reason we weren't, is because when you have kids, and you are sick with a deadly virus that is very highly contagious, who do you ask to risk their lives to come watch your children? We are all doing better now, but we literally BARELY survived! We are on day 21 right now. Our kids got sick for a couple days, but recovered quickly, and both tested negative on day 15 when my husband and I went to get retested. We never got them tested originally because there just wasn't a point. The doctor told us that with both of us being positive the kids were guaranteed to get it. They had low fevers for a few days, complained of stomach and headaches, and our son had a sore throat, but otherwise the kids were completely fine. My husband and I tested positive for a second time though. The doctor said that after 10 days we were most likely no longer contagious, and since my husband was doing better, he was able to go back to work a couple days ago. I'm still pretty sick with pneumonia though. They gave me another antibiotic, which I just finished last night, but I've still got a fever, congestion, I'm coughing, and have a headache. I honestly think that the worst part for me has been the Covid migraine. It's been extremely painful! A week ago, I told my husband that I wanted to go to the ER. It was so bad that I stayed in bed literally all day. My husband finally woke me up at 9pm, to get me to eat something because all I had eaten were a few crackers, so I could take some pain meds. It was just THAT bad. The only reason that I didn't go to the ER is because they would have laughed and sent me home. Already being Covid positive, they would have refused to treat me because of the risk of exposure to others, and they would have sent me home to deal with it on my own. Unless I was in need of a ventilator, they wouldn't have helped me. I am finally doing a little bit better. The congestion and coughing aren't as bad as they were before, and the headache hasn't been as bad the last couple days either. Nights are still pretty bad for me. I am extremely exhausted literally all the time, and just want to sleep my life away. I've never been so sick in my life. Plus, my heart is now completely messed up from all of this, so I have to get in to see a cardiologist, as soon as I finally get a negative covid test, which the doctor says could take around 90 days. I freaking hate being sick! My husband says that the November episodes were way worse than this covid stint, but it's just been so bad. I've been so sick at this point that I am literally sick of being sick. And the doctor seems to agree that I've had Covid Pneumonia this entire time. So that's fun!
But in the mean time, I discovered the gloriousness of The Kissing Booth! OMG, I am completely OBSESSED! I've watched both movies probably 100 times, read all 4 books several times, and read all the fanfiction both here, and on Wattpad. It's pretty ridiculous how obsessed I am. LOL This is seriously what happens when you are sick in bed and seriously bored.
Anyway, I am trying to get back into writing, so here is Chapter 80 for you. I hope you are all safe and healthy. Covid freaking SUCKS! My kids haven't left the house except to go to the doctor a couple times, and to drive through somewhere for food, since last March. I literally get ZERO break from them. And being sick when you're a mom is the worst! It's been so hard lately. Hopefully I'll continue to feel better, but we'll see how it goes. Happy reading, and I hope to see a lot of reviews! :-)
"Rory, you look amazing! Gosh, I wish pregnancy had looked even half as good on me as it does on you. What is your secret?" a woman asked, , sitting beside Rory in her backyard. Emily had put together an amazing party based entirely around the theme Rory had picked out for Ayribella's nursery; The Secret Garden. Rory's backyard had been transformed into a magical paradise. Everywhere she looked, there were flowers. Throughout the last two days, there had been florists, decorators and party planners in and out of Rory's home. Emily had pulled out the big guns for her granddaughter. Rory's backyard literally looked like she had stepped right into the garden she had seen in the movie. There were rose bushes all over the place, as well as several daisy bushes of various hues, and a ton of other flowers. Instead of just hiring a florist to do all the work, Emily had brought in a landscape team to redo Rory's backyard. They had added a few trees, lots of flowers, water fountains, and some gorgeous flowering bushes all over the place. A lot of the flower choices reminded Rory of her Grandparents' gorgeous backyard back in Hartford. Emily's yard was the envy of her neighborhood, and all of the Gilmore's friends, and Rory was sure that her yard would be added to the elite list of beautiful yards. She was glad that her Grandmother had taken over the care of her yard because Rory knew nothing about gardening, or yard work of any kind. She could probably have hired a team to care for her yard, but most likely would have asked Emily for recommendations anyway, so having Emily take over was a giant blessing. Rory was able to sit back and enjoy the beauty all around her, without having to worry about any of it. "You look absolutely incredible!" the woman continued. "And your home is just fabulous! I had no idea that you had even gotten married, but as always, you've managed to surprise us all."
"Thank you Tweeny. That is so sweet of you to say." Rory smiled politely.
"How long have you been married now?"
"A year, on my birthday."
"You were married on your birthday? That is so sweet! Was it just incredible?!"
"It really was."
"Emily said that you eloped on the beach."
"We did. It was gorgeous, and so peaceful."
"You didn't want to have a big wedding?"
"We talked about it, but it just isn't us. There has been so much going on family and business wise, and planning a big society wedding just seemed overwhelming. Logan and I had already waited so long to be together that we just wanted to jump and not wait anymore. Eloping was absolutely the right thing for us."
"Well as long as you are happy, right?"
"Absolutely! Logan, Honey, you remember Tweeny Halpern, right?" Rory asked as Logan stepped up next to his wife, handing her a glass of lemonade."
"I do. It's a pleasure to see you again." Logan smiled, taking a seat in the chair to Rory's left.
"Congratulations on your new baby Logan. Rory was just telling me about your wedding. I had no idea she had gotten married until Emily invited me to the shower."
"We eloped in St. Croix last fall."
"St. Croix is just gorgeous! Did you just love it there?!" Tweeny asked.
"We did. It was beautiful."
"Where did you stay while you were there? I hope you spent a couple of weeks enjoying the island."
"We were actually only there for about 30 hours." Logan said as his mother joined the trio.
"Logan, Honey, your yard looks so different from just a few days ago!" Shira told him.
"It really does, Emily's team did an amazing job."
"Why didn't you tell me that you were redoing your yard?"
"I didn't know it was happening until I saw the crew at work two days ago."
"Emily did all of this without telling you?"
"She did, but it's beautiful. We really love it." Rory commented. "My grandmother is an incredible decorator, and gardener. She did an amazing job!"
"Shira, you must be very proud of your son. His home is absolutely fabulous!" Tweeny told her.
"Thank you, I am." Shira smiled politely.
"We haven't seen you at any events in a really long time. Where have you been hiding?"
"Oh, nowhere in particular. I've been spending time with my children, and doing some traveling. You know how it is when your children are all married and having babies of their own. Just because they're out of the house doesn't mean that they don't need you anymore. And having two babies on the way requires a lot of planning for the Grandma to be."
"You have a second baby coming as well?"
"I do. My daughter is due a few weeks after Rory and Logan. We get two babies all at once."
"Both girls?"
"One girl one boy."
"Congratulations Shira, that is so wonderfully exciting! Being a Grandmother is such a blessing!"
"Yes, it is. I am very excited."
"It is so sweet of Rory to donate her gifts to charity."
"Yes it is. Rory is very selfless. She is a wonderful addition to our family."
"Mom, why don't you take a seat. There is a free chair for you right here." Logan told her.
"Thank you Sweetie, but I don't want to intrude. I just came over to tell you how incredible your yard looks."
"Shira, please join us." Rory told her. "You aren't intruding at all. I'm glad you are here."
"Rory, congratulations Dear!" another woman said as she stepped up to the group. "Oh my goodness! Shira Huntzberger, is that you?! You look incredible!"
"Suzanne, thank you for coming." Shira said, greeting the woman in front of her as she took a seat next to Rory. "Rory, Logan, you remember Suzanne Kaplan, right? She's been a friend of mine and Emily's for years."
"It's nice to see you again Suzanne. Thank you for coming." Rory smiled politely.
"Oh, it's my pleasure! I had no idea the two of you had gotten married. I had heard that Logan was married, but I had no idea that it was to Emily's granddaughter. What a pleasant surprise! Shira, you must be thrilled!"
"We are very blessed." Shira told her.
"How did the two of you meet?" Suzanne asked.
"We've known each other since college." Logan answered.
"Rory, Honey, is there anything that I can get for you? Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" Shira asked, seeing Rory stretch her legs out in front of her."
"I'm alright, thank you. Just need to move my legs a little bit. They start to go numb if I sit in the same position for too long."
"I had the same problem when I was pregnant with Logan. He liked to sit on my sciatic nerve. He was always either causing me pain, or making me loose feeling in my legs. Just be extra careful when getting up. My legs would turn to jelly causing me to fall when standing and trying to walk."
"I definitely know that one. Luckily, being on bed rest, I haven't been allowed to move around much. Especially not without help."
"Bed rest is the worst!" Tweeny spoke up.
"It hasn't been my favorite activity, that's for sure." Rory agreed.
"How much longer do you have to go?" Suzanne asked.
"Less than 6 weeks."
"You must be ready to be done."
"I'm definitely getting there."
"Are you excited?" Tweeny asked.
"Very excited!" Logan answered. "We can't wait!"
"Tweeny, did you see the gorgeous cake that was just brought out?" Suzanne asked.
"I didn't!"
"Come on, I'll show you. Excuse us." Suzanne smiled, then led Tweeny away.
"Mom, if all of this is too much, or too uncomfortable for you, you don't have to stay. You are free to leave whenever you need to." Logan told her.
"Yes, Shira, I am so glad you are here, but I don't want you to be miserable. I know how vapid these people are. You've been through a lot. If this is too much, or too hard for you, please don't feel obligated to stay." Rory told her.
"Rory, you are so sweet. I'm alright though. I'm used to this kind of thing. It's your special day. I am here for both of you. I'm a grandmother now. I want to be here."
"But if it gets to be too much . . ."
"I'll let you know." Shira said cutting Rory off. "I promise you, I'm alright. Thank you for being kind enough to care about my well-being. I do appreciate your concern."
"I know that we've had our differences in the past, but I'm really glad that you're here. I've really enjoyed having you around lately."
"Oh Honey, it's my pleasure to be here. There is nowhere else that I would rather be. But really, this is your day. This entire party is to honor YOU! So let's not worry about silly little me, alright? What can I do to help you out? Is there anything that you need? What can I do for you?"
"I am actually craving watermelon and chocolate eclairs."
"I'll go grab you some. Mom, you stay with Rory, I'll grab something for you too. What would you like?"
"Chocolate eclairs sound delightful."
"I'll be right back." Logan said, getting up, and heading across the yard to the food table.
"Shira, are you sure this isn't all too much for you?" Rory asked after Logan was gone.
"I'm ok Honey, but thank you for your concern. How are you doing? Are you too warm? Is everyone being kind to you?"
"I am perfect, thank you. I don't think anyone would dare be unkind to me. My Grandma would gouge their eyes out." Rory chuckled.
"Emily is definitely good for that."
"Yes she is. Thank you so much for being here. I know I told you this already, but you look absolutely incredible! I know it's none of my business, but you are so skinny! What is your secret?"
"Thank you Sweetie! That is so kind of you to say. I got so much exercise in California between the yoga, pilates, swimming, and walking trails, and the weight just started to fall off. I've just continued doing everything here. I've enjoyed losing the weight so much that I feel like I've almost become obsessed with it. I feel great for the first time in decades! I almost feel like I'm 18 again."
"That is amazing! I am so glad! Maybe after Ayribella is born you can teach me your exercise routine, and help me lose some of this baby weight.
"I would love that Honey. You Honor and I can exercise together. Maybe we'll all join a Mommy and Me class. I don't have a baby of course, but they can't really say no to Grandma now, can they?"
"Shira, you don't look old enough to be a Grandma at all."
"Thank you, you are too kind Honey. Some days I don't feel like I'm old enough, but I'm 55 now. I am definitely old enough."
"My mom is turning 50 soon."
"Really? We will have to throw her a massive welcome to 50 party."
"I think she would love that."
"You and I will start planning. We'll have Honor and Emily help us."
"Don't forget Sookie. She'll kill us if we don't include her."
"Oh definitely! We'll make it a birthday for the record books!" Shira told her.
"We'll have to figure out how to top the last big party I threw for her. I kind of got her the world's largest pizza."
"You got your mom the world's largest pizza?"
"For Mom's 35th birthday I had this crazy idea to get her the world's largest pizza, but the biggest pizza that the local restaurant could make me was 12 feet. So we just told her that it was the world's largest pizza. At the time, the actual world's largest pizza was around 122 feet, so ours didn't even compare. But it was a nice try."
"That's crazy!"
"I know, right?! I tried to do the impossible, and I failed. But my Mom was thrilled, so it all worked out."
"Well maybe we can get her the world's largest pizza for real this time."
"I'm sure she would love that, but we can do something different this time."
"I'm sure Lorelai loved her giant pizza."
"She really did. It was a super fun party."
"You are an amazing daughter! Your mother is very lucky to have you."
"I'm even luckier to have her.
"Shira Huntzberger, are you really a Grandma now?" a woman asked, as she stepped up in front of the Huntzberger women.
"I am! It is very nice to see you Maureen. Rory, have you met Maureen Carmichael? She has been a friend of our family for years."
"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry, I would stand to greet you properly, but I'm supposed to be on bed rest, and not allowed to move out of this chair." Rory smiled politely.
"Hello Rory. It is very nice to meet you as well. Shira, I had no idea that Logan had gotten married. I saw headlines that there was a change up with your family's company, but I didn't know that the rumors were actually true."
"They had a small, private wedding right after Mitchum had his first heart attack last fall. They didn't want to detract from everything that was going on. We'll have a big wedding party later on to celebrate, won't we Rory?"
"Yes, we will." Rory agreed. "Logan and I actually just talked about it the other day. We'll get everything planned out once life starts to calm down a little bit."
"That sounds lovely." Maureen smiled politely. "Shira, you look incredible! I almost didn't recognize you."
"Thank you Maureen. That is very kind of you to say. Logan, Sweetie, you remember Maureen don't you?" Shira asked as Logan joined them.
"I do. It's great to see you Maureen. I see you've met my wife." Logan smiled as he handed Rory a plate of food.
"Yes, just now. Congratulations Logan. You sure have made a lot of changes since we last saw you. I hear you are a doctor now."
"Yes, I am."
"Whatever happened to following in your father's footsteps? You were supposed to take over your family's company weren't you?"
"That was the plan for many years, yes. But Dad found someone more qualified. Rory is actually the CEO now." Logan told her as he took a seat next to his wife.
"Rory worked on President Obama's election campaign after graduating from Yale." Shira told her in a very proud voice. "Rory has been a breath of fresh air for the company. She is doing an amazing job!"
"Wow! Congratulations Rory! We were shocked to hear that Mitchum had stepped down. No one thought that would ever happen."
"After his heart attacks, we decided as a family that Mitchum would step back and focus on his health, and our family. We are getting two grandbabies this summer. Retirement gives us all the time in the world to be there to help our children and spoil the babies."
"That sounds lovely. I saw Honor when I walked in. She looks wonderful."
"She really does, doesn't she?! She is due a few weeks after Rory. We will be having a party for her baby very soon. I'll make sure you get an invite."
"I look forward to receiving it." Maureen smiled. "Will you excuse me? I see someone I need to speak to."'
"Of course. Thank you so much for joining us." Shira smiled, watching as Maureen walked away.
"She's rude." Logan commented once the woman was out of earshot.
"She definitely could have tried to harder to be polite." Rory agreed.
"Logan, you know how Maureen is. She's very . . ."
"Petty, vapid, self-centered." Logan said, cutting his mother off.
"Exactly!"
"Why was she invited?"
"Because it would have been rude to exclude her when all of the other DAR ladies were invited."
"But she didn't have to come."
"She probably saw the name Huntzberger on the invitation and thought it would get her popularity points." Rory told him.
"Heaven forbid you should ever miss out on a Huntzberger party." Honor said as she joined the group, along with her mother in-law. "That woman is a troll!"
"Rory Honey, look how amazing you look!" Donna said as she stepped up to Rory, reaching out to give her a hug.
"Donna! I am so happy to see you! Thank you so much for coming!" Rory told her.
"Are you kidding?! There is nowhere in the world that I would rather be! I couldn't possibly miss being here for you and my newest granddaughter. I am so sorry I couldn't make it for your other party yesterday. I had a 2 year old's birthday party to be at."
"Don't be silly. Your other Grandbabies need their Grandma too. We would never expect you to drop everything for us, two days in a row."
"How are you feeling Honey, Honor has been updating me on everything every day."
"I'm doing alright. Being on bed rest sucks, but I've had a lot of visitors to keep me entertained."
"Well if you need extra help, you call me, alright?"
"Thank you Donna, I will."
"Shira, I'm sure you've been hearing it a lot lately, but look how fabulous you look!" Donna said, turning to the woman to her side. "You look like a super model! Wow! Honor told me you had changed, but holy cow! You look incredible!"
"Thank you so much Donna!" Shira said standing up to embrace her daughter's mother in-law. "Thank you for coming. It is so great to see you!"
"You look so amazing! I just can't get over it. You and I need to catch up. Let's do lunch this week, alright?"
"Yes, we definitely will! There has been so much going on lately, I'm sorry I didn't call you."
"No, don't even worry about it. You've been busy. I completely understand. Honor updates me on everybody whenever there is news. I've heard such great things. I am so glad you are doing better. How was the visit with your family?"
"It was wonderful! Thank you so much for helping Honor arrange everything. And thank you for the beautiful birthday gift. It means a lot to me."
"You are very welcome. There is no need to thank me, we are family. I was thrilled to be able to help out. Rory, Logan, I hope you don't mind, I left a gift for Ayribella upstairs in her bedroom. I didn't want it to get mixed up with the rest of the party gifts."
"No, that is totally ok. Thank you Donna. You didn't have to do that." Logan told her.
"Don't be silly, yes I did. That sweet little girl deserves gifts from Grandma. I may have gone a little bit overboard in gifts though. I was so excited about you donating all your gifts to less fortunate families, that I kept shopping and shopping. Then I realized that I had bought way too much stuff, but I was so excited that I just couldn't help myself. So rather than keep shopping, I made a large donation in Ayribella's name, right to Moms For Moms."
"Thank you Donna! That is so amazing!" Rory told her.
"It is my pleasure Sweetie. You are doing such a great thing, and I am so proud of you! It was the least that I could do."
"I just don't feel right asking for gifts from people that we can more than afford to buy for ourselves, when there are so many people in the world who could use those gifts way more than I ever could. My mom struggled a lot when I was a baby, and I am so lucky to have everything that she didn't. I can't even imagine what less fortunate women go through. Babies are expensive, and every Mom deserves a hand up if they need it. Giving back in the least that I can do."
"You are such a good person Rory. Lorelai did an amazing job raising you!"
"Thank you so much! I am very lucky to have her." Rory agreed.
"How did you find Moms For Moms?" Donna asked.
"My Grandmother found them. I told her that I wanted to give back, and help those less fortunate, and she took care of everything. She even has me scheduled to speak at one of their fundraisers in a few months."
"Wow, that is amazing! Let me know the date, and I will go with you."
"I will for sure."
"Hey Rory, look who I found!" Georgia said as she walked up to the group with her grandmother, Francine.
"Grandma Francine! I am so glad you could make it! Thank you so much for coming!" Rory said with a bright smile, holding her hand out toward her grandmother. "I am so sorry, I would give you a hug, but I'm not allowed to move out of this chair."
"I understand, Georgia and your father have been keeping me updated. You look wonderful, Dear!"
"Thank you! You remember Logan's Mother, Shira."
"I do. Welcome back Shira. It is great to see you again."
"Thank you Francine. It is so nice of you to be here. This is Donna Rothschild, she is Honor's mother in-law."
"I know Francine." Donna smiled. "How are you doing? It's been a very long time."
"Yes, it has. I am doing very well. Congratulations on your upcoming Grandbaby!"
"Why thank you! Congratulations to you!"
"Rory, I was telling Grandma about all the fun that we had sight-seeing on Wednesday. She loved the pictures!" Georgia told her, bouncing with excitement.
"Including the picture of ketchup all over my face?" Logan asked.
"Oh come on, that was the best one!"
"I liked all the crazy hats and stuff you made him try on. That was awesome!" Honor spoke up.
"Honor, it was so much fun! Maybe next time you can come with us." Georgia beamed. "It's so fun having a cool older brother!"
"Thank you guys for inviting Georgia to stay with you this past week. She has had the greatest time here." Francine told them. "I am almost sad to make her leave this afternoon, but she has school tomorrow morning."
"It was our pleasure." Logan told them. "We had the best time with Georgia and April. The girls are welcome to come stay with us anytime. I'm glad Georgia loved it so much."
"Georgia and I will have to come visit again this summer, after the baby is born."
"We would love that!" Rory commented. "Just let us know whenever you want to come, and we will make it work."
"We need to do that historical sites tour." Georgia told her them. "Grandma, Rory, April and I want to take a tour of all the East Coast historical sites that I'll be learning about in school. They think that it would be really beneficial for me to see them all first hand."
"I think that is a splendid idea! Maybe we can spend part of the summer in Hartford this year. I'll talk to your father, and see what we can work out."
"Thank you Grandma! I am so excited!"
"Hello everyone! Can I please have your attention?" Emily's voice boomed through the yard as she moved to stand next to Rory, with a microphone in her hand. "I just wanted to thank all of you so much for joining us today, to celebrate my beautiful Granddaughter Rory, soon to be great granddaughter. I apologize for all of you having to make the long trek to New York so that you could join us, but we are so happy to have you. Most of you have known Rory from various DAR events while she was working in the office during her time at Yale, and some of you have known her even longer. Anyone who has known my Granddaughter for any period of time, knows how completely selfless she is, so it wasn't really a surprise to me when she asked that rather than having a traditional baby shower, if it would be alright to celebrate our family's new addition by giving to others. Rory and her husband Logan, both come from well to do families, and they just didn't feel right about accepting expensive gifts from people when there are so many women in our communities who aren't as blessed as they are. Rory and I chose to partner with the Charity 'Moms For Moms', and donate all of the gifts received today to local, right here in our community. Rory, would you like to tell everyone about the charity we chose?"
"Sure Grandma, I would be happy to." Rory smiled. "Thank you all so much for coming this weekend! I am seeing a lot of familiar faces, as well as a few new ones, and I can't thank you enough for being here. It really means a lot to my husband and I. I apologize for not standing while I speak, but as I am sure most of you have heard, I am officially on strict bed rest, and I am not allowed to move from this chair." Rory chuckled. "I am so excited to partner with 'Moms For Moms'! As most of you know, I was raised by a single Mom, in the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. My Mom might have been born a Gilmore, but after I was born, my Mom decided that she wanted to raise me differently than she had been raised. We moved away from Hartford when I was only a few months old, and my mom took a job at the Independence Inn, as a maid. She worked there through my entire adolescence, moving up to management, before finally leaving to open her own Inn after I started college. My mother left behind everything that she had been raised with, and started all over with just me and nothing else. She had no money, no food, no shelter. We lived at the Independence Inn for many years, before my mother was finally able to buy her home. It wasn't the greatest place to raise a young child, but my Mom did her best, and she made sure that I never went without. My Mom was very fortunate to find the town of Stars Hollow, and she fell in love with the place. Everyone there became our family, and was always more than willing to help out with anything that we needed. Unfortunately, not all families are so lucky. There are countless women and families all over the world, who struggle every day, to provide for themselves, every single day. Hundreds of them, right here in our own community. When I asked my Grandmother about donating to a charity, she was really excited, and got right to work, researching different groups that would benefit from our generosity. I chose 'Moms For Moms' because they stand for something that I really believe in. They started as a simple 'pay it forward' initiative. They are a community of mothers who help other mothers. A group of women with a mission to help others just like them. 'Moms for Moms' supports single mothers, just like mine, who are living in poverty, by providing baby products; clothing, diapers, wipes, bottles, and blankets, as well as self-care items for the mothers, including postpartum care products. They provide these wonderful care packages to mothers who need them. Mothers who aren't as fortunate as you and I are. They work with partner agencies to provide newborn care and postpartum recovery packages to women in need. These women know just how stressful and financially tough the first few months of a child's life can be, and they don't believe that you should have to choose between buying the feminine care products that you need to recover after giving birth, as well as diapers for your new baby, or feeling yourself. A new mother has so much other important things to focus on such as your family, work, school, and building a secure loving bond with your new baby. My mother was 17 when I was born. Like so many other mothers, my mother dropped out of high school in order to take care of me. Years later, she was able to go back to school, get her GED, and even a bachelor's degree in business management. And my mom did all of that while raising a child. Unfortunately, not all women are that lucky. So many other mothers don't have the same opportunities and luxuries that my mother did. And that is exactly why I chose to give back. Because even for as tough as it was for my Mom and I when I was growing up, we were very blessed. We have an amazing family behind us, as well as some absolutely incredible friends. But so many other women aren't as blessed. So thank you to all of you for traveling here to join us today, and thank you so much for your generosity and donations to such a wonderful organization. I can assure you that your gifts will bless a lot of deserving women in this community. Thank you so much for supporting our family, it really means a lot to us."
"Can I say something for just a moment?" Logan asked as Rory started to hand the microphone back to Emily.
"Please." Emily smiled, giving the microphone to Logan, and taking a few steps back to stand behind her granddaughter.
"Hi everyone. I believe most of you know me, but for those who don't, my name is Logan Huntzberger, and I am Rory's husband. I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all very much for being here today, and of course thank you for your incredible generosity for such an amazing charity. Rory and I are very blessed to be in a position where we can give back to those in our community who are less fortunate. Is Danielle Krupa here?" Logan asked, looking around at those in attendance, until he saw a hand raise among the crowd. "Excellent! Danielle, if you wouldn't mind coming to join me for a moment . . ." Logan smiled, then waited for the woman to make her way over to the group. "Hi Danielle, I am so sorry, I haven't had the pleasure to formally introduce myself yet. Everybody, this is Danielle Krupa, and she is the founder of 'Moms For Moms'. On behalf of myself, my wife, and our families, just want to thank you so much for being here today, Danielle. Of all the charities that Rory, Emily and I were looking at, yours stood out to us the most, and we are so honored to be able to provide some much needed necessities for families less fortunate than us. What you are doing for our community is such an amazing feat, and I know how hard you must work every day to keep things running so smoothly. All of the gifts here today will be loaded up this afternoon, and taken right to your office for you to distribute as you see fit. And I also would like to pass on a few gifts for your foundation as well. I have a check for you from Columbia University where I went to medical school, and where I am currently employed as a physician, in the amount of $10,000. I also have one for you from the Huntzberger Publishing Group in the amount of $20,000, and a third check on behalf of both the Gilmore and Huntzberger families, in the amount of $20,000. We know how much work you have been putting in to help families in our community, and we just wanted to say thank you, and give you our support. These are for you." Logan said as he handed the woman an envelope. "Thank you all again, for joining us today. Your love and support means so much to us." Logan smiled, then handed the microphone back to Emily.
"Doctor Huntzberger, thank you so much! This is incredible!" Danielle told him, reaching to give him a hug. "I don't even know what to say! Thank you! Your generosity means so much to me, and will help a lot of families. Thank you!"
"It is our pleasure. It's the lease we can do."
"My Mom struggled a lot raising me, and giving back is the least that I can do." Rory spoke up. "We already have a garage full of gifts for you, from another shower that we were given yesterday, but all of the gifts here today are for you as well."
"Mrs. Huntzberger, thank you so much, this is so sweet of you! Thank you both so much for inviting me today, this party is amazing! I hope it's ok with you, I left a gift for your baby with your Grandmother." Danielle told them.
"Thank you so much! You didn't have to do that. We have so much already, this is really the least that we can do. I am really excited to partner with you. I have the article about your foundation all ready to go out in tomorrow's newspapers."
"Thank you so much! This is absolutely wonderful! I can't thank you guys enough for all of the generosity, support and exposure you are giving us. I can't wait until our summer baby shower in June. I am really looking forward to having you with us as a keynote speaker."
"I am very excited for that! I already have several donors asking if they can attend with me."
"Absolutely! The more the merrier! You can bring as many people as you would like. Just get me a head count a couple weeks in advance."
"I definitely will. Thank you so much for coming today." Rory told her.
Just a small note:
For anyone who hasn't seen the headlines about David Sutcliffe following the Capitol Riot on January 6th . . . He's dead to me. I don't tolerate racism, bigotry, antisemitism, moronic conspiracy theories, violence, rioting, etc. The events that happened at the Capitol are completely unacceptable and terrifying! I can't believe that crap actually happened, and after what David Sutcliffe has been saying . . . I don't believe for a second that he was kidding. You won't be seeing a single bit of Christopher Hayden in any of my work, ever again. I can't and won't support that kind of hatred and terrorism. It's not right!