What a week....

Well last week and unit 4 came and went so fast.  It is weeks like the last couple that make me seriously wonder how I ever thought I could fit school into my already over booked life.  But I successfully made it through, but my school work took a beating.  But it was all worth it because the work that we are doing is really impacting people everywhere.

So a little history.... My husband loves sports, especially football.  We have one of those "we interrupt this marriage to bring you the football season" kind of marriages.  I have tried to embrace this love of his, even taking a workshop to try and understand the game better.  Which it did help me to understand the game better, but it didn't ignite this football passion inside.  We have season tickets to the Arizona Cardinals (I know) and that allowed us to get two tickets to the Superbowl when it was here in Phoenix in 2008.  Well I had already been to a Superbowl a few years earlier in Detroit (Seattle/Pittsburgh) and really didn't have any desire to go again, especially when I wasn't fond of either team that was playing.  So I gave my ticket to the only other person that I know who loves football as much as my husband, his best friend Mike.  So Mike is a Navy Veteran and my husband is a Marine Veteran and they have that "military brotherhood" mindset about them, and they were very affected by all the military personnel that were involved in the opening ceremonies but then not allowed to stay for the game.  This was especially bothersome since there were so many empty seats in the stadium.  So they started a non-profit 501c3 foundation called The Veteran Tickets Foundation or Vettix for short (www.vettix.org).  So for the last 4 years Mike, my husband and 3 other founding members have volunteered endless hours making phone calls, writing letters and going to meetings to try and obtain as many donated tickets as possible to anything and everything.  Then they turn around and give the tickets without prejudice to veterans, active military and their families as a "thank-you" for service and sacrifice.  How does it work you ask?  Well people do have to go sign up and then mail in a copy of their DD214 for validation.  You have to imagine the magnitude of what these guys were taking on. There is no other foundation out there like this.  And at a time when times are tough and budgets are tight, they are able to give people a night off to go have some fun.  There are endless thank-you's from people.  It really has touched me in a way I didn't expect.  Who knew that angels wore dogtags.
So last week we were in Boston trying to get those teams to donate to Vettix.  That is one of the last cities that we need to partnership with, but boy are they tough.  We will get them though.....