Jekyll and a Thief

So we didn't sleep very well last night. Today Clara left for her field trip to Jekyll Island (Driftwood). I had anxiety attacks all night long. I woke up having them! So we got her to school this morning, after a very weepy hugging and going over the rules again, and how to stay safe.

Be aware at all times of your surroundings.

Kick, punch, bite, gouge the eyes, etc...if anyone tries to take you.

Stay with your class, a friend, a teacher, at all times. Etc...

It was very hard for me to let her go. My anxiety and panic filled my head with all of the worst case scenarios all night long. Kidnappings, falling into the ocean, or the swamp, getting eaten by alligators, being left somewhere, getting lost. You think of it, I imagined it.

But we still managed to get her to the school on time and get her all loaded up on the charter bus. I was so relieved to see two of her best friends there. To know they would be with her, riding the same bus (there were 2 buses), and even bunking together, I know they will watch out for her and they will all 3 stick together and look out for each other. Knowing they'd be with her did ease my mind a bit.

I'm not going to lie though, I am still a little nervous, a bit on edge. I will not feel right again until she's back home. I do hope she has an amazing time and I'm sure she is having a blast. She gets home just to turn right back around a week later to go to summer camp, lol. She said I'm trying to get rid of her, but truthfully, I just want to make sure she has great, memorable experiences that she wouldn't get by staying around here. And she made some awesome friends last year that are already e-mailing me asking if Clara will be at camp this summer. :)

So this morning, I e-mailed the lady behind CleftKids.org and the Cleft Care Packages, to ask about Clara's packages. She was sponsored for both of her summer surgeries and was supposed to receive two packages, one before each surgery. Her May 5th surgery came and went and she never did get her package. The lady said that she had sent it off on 4/27 and it said it was delivered to our front porch.

o.O

There's a trouble maker that lives on our street. She is mean, she is nasty to everyone, and she steals from our porches. She steals cigarettes, she steals toys, she steals miscellaneous things. She has not been allowed in our yard for some time because of how she has mistreated Clara and Marian. But around the time the package would have arrived, she and her friends were lurking around our yard/porch. I have no doubt in my mind that she took that box. And it's a real shame. It's a really low kind of person who can steal from someone, especially from a child going in to have surgery. I have no proof. But I will be watching closely from now on.

Thankfully, the lady was sympathetic to Clara's situation and is sending her another Cleft Care Package. She was the one who sponsored Clara to begin with. :( Hopefully this one will make it to us.



Here are the pictures of Clara ready to head out n her trip today. And her friends, Charley and Raygan. :) <3