It's gonna be an AWESOME night!!!!

So, some of you know that I entered the Sugarland "tonight" contest a while back. We had to make a video showing what our perfect tonight would be like. So, it took me 16 hours to make this video. It was my first time ever making a video without just hitting record on the video camera. I spent an entire Saturday making this video. The winner of the contest would get to fly to Atlanta for their final tour stop in October, have a candlelight dinner and meet the band. I was pumped!!! The finalists were to be announced and then it was up to their fans to vote for the winner. Then, Sugarland had that awful catastrophe where their stage collapsed and they postponed the contest. I completely understood, and dismissed the thought from my head. I wasn't sure if they were going to go through with the contest still or not and my heart was aching for the people who didn't survive the stage collapse and those who were injured. The contest was far from my thoughts.

So, last week after I got back from Dallas, I went to work on Tuesday. After work, I checked my email and noticed a message from a fellow Sugarfriend saying she had voted for me.  I was like "voted?" So, sure enough I checked the website and they had announced the 16 finalists and I was one of them!!! But, I was about 200 votes behind the leader. I had some groundwork to cover. I blew up the news feeds on Facebook and Twitter. Several people also re-posted my link because my video touched them and they wanted me to win. Strangers were emailing me telling me they had voted for me. Sure enough, by Thursday, I had taken the lead in votes. The other girl in competition with me for the lead was right on my tail though. She really gave me a run for my money. Saturday morning, the vote count had gotten to 1K and froze. You couldn't see how many votes you had, and shortly after, the other girl reached 1K. I wasn't sure if the votes were still being counted on the other end or not. Well, apparently they were..... I WON!!!!! They announced the winner today on their website.  I was waiting all morning, and I kept hitting refresh on my phone. (my battery had already almost died by noon). Sure enough, I had a parent-teacher conference to go to at my son's school. When I got out of the conference, I checked the website again and saw the news!! I was still at the school though and couldn't scream. I sent Chris a text that said "pack your bags....we're going to Atlanta!!!" Then, all these emails started coming in from Twitter and YouTube from people commenting to me about my video. Man, the LOVE I felt was overwhelming! Sugarland's music is all about Love and many of their songs have helped me get through my journey this past year. Mostly, "Incredible Machine" because I felt that my body was truly an incredible machine during chemo. Also, the song "Stand Back Up" is one of my favorites. Some of the lines in the song go... (I'll hi-light my favorites)
Go ahead and take your best shot,

Let 'er rip, give it all you've got,
I'm laid out on the floor, but I've been here before,
I may stumble, yeah I might fall,
Only human aren't we all?
I might lose my way, but hear me when I say,

I will stand back up,
You'll know just the moment when I've had enough,
Sometimes I'm afraid, and I don't feel that tough,
But I'll stand back up,

I've been beaten up and bruised,
I've been kicked right off my shoes,
Been down on my knees more times than you'd believe,
When the darkness tries to get me,
There's a light that just won't let me,
It might take my pride, and my tears may fill my eyes,


But I'll stand back up,

I've weathered all these storms,
But I just turn them into wind, so I can fly,
What don't kill you makes you stronger,

So, go ahead and take your best shot,
Let 'er rip, give it all you've got,
You might win this round but you can't keep me down,
'Cause I'll stand back up,

And you'll know just the moment when I've had enough,
Sometimes I'm afraid and I don't feel that tough,
But I'll stand back up

So, even though the song wasn't written ABOUT cancer, I could totally relate those lines to my journey. There were days when I didn't want to get out of bed. There were days when I just wanted to cry all day. There were days that I would be depressed but I never wanted my kids to see me sick, sad or upset. I was just ready to be done with the whole process. But, seeing those smiles on my kids faces after school, and getting that hug and kiss from Chris every morning before he left for work and afternoon when he got home...that's what made me keep fighting! So, Kaylee decided this year she wanted to do a solo in dance.....and said "mommy, I want to do your Sugarland song and dedicate it to you". OH.MY.GOD! She has such a beautiful heart. Of course, solo's are expensive, but I couldn't say no to that!!!! (hence the reason I am working part-time) So, in February, she will be competing in 2 dance competitions with that song. She is such a beautiful, graceful dancer and I can't wait to see the final product. (I better remember to wear waterproof mascara because I know I'm gonna cry....or be a basketcase...whichever) I'll post the video here after she dances.

So, October 22 is the big day!!! I will be flying to Atlanta to wine, dine and hang out with Sugarland! I can't wait to see what all my night has in store for me! I don't think I'll be able to sleep well the next 13 days out of sheer excitement!!! Plus, I have to get work done...Ugh. It's gonna be hard to concentrate.

So, here is my video submission....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80EzAu_1tIE

And here is my favorite.....a shout out on Twitter from Sugarland!!!!

As if THAT isn't cool enough!!!! I can hardly contain my excitement!!! I think I may need to go buy my lottery ticket tonight..... Then I gotta start working on my custom Sugarland Rhinestone shirt!!! Good thing I know how to do that....hehehe

Thank you from the bottom and top of my heart to all my friends (and the strangers) who posted my link, voted and helped me win this! I could NOT have done it without all of you!!! You guys ROCK!!! I love you all!!!!
So, stay tuned........
Tiffany!!!!