
We made it to the hotel with no complications...took about 3.5 hrs from my work to where we are staying. This place is really nice, its called the Ritz Carlton at Northstar (Truckee, CA). I can honestly say that I have never been in a place as luxurious as this. When we arrived everybody already knew Dylan's name, it was very special to him; he thought it was the coolest thing that folks knew of him before he even got here. We took a tour of the hotel and were brought to our room....WOW this place is huge with dual king size beds, dual vanity sinks, a tub that is literally 4+ feet deep (Oh and Dylan took a bath in that swimming pool, errr I mean that bathtub and loved every minute of it, LOL) and a beautiful view of the pool/spas/firepits and the ski mountain. Although there is not a lot of snow on the ground (literally almost none) we are loving the fact that we are here. We have never been able to get away as a family, even prior to being a family Amber and I never had the opportunity to go on vacation either. Ironically when I dug my snow jacket out of storage, the ski tag reads (01.27.2002) almost 9 years to the day since I personally have been away and over a full year prior to Amber and I even meeting. Needless to say its been a long time and I'm so grateful to Make-A-Wish for what they do for children scenarios like Dylan's...its really remarkable, as we could never afford anything like this or even something way cheaper; its just wasn't in our cards currently or in the foreseeable future.
Tomorrow is a big day, we have a meeting with the Chef on top of the Mountain, whom is cooking something very special (Dylan has severe dairy and nut allergies) just for him. After that we are going dog-sledding. So much to do and we are just taking it all in and very happy Dylan seems to be enjoying himself.
Another thing that happened today was our good friend Shane (my works Snap-on Dealer and dear friend) is running a toolbox fundraiser in honor of Dylan.
The folks over at UMS Tuning/Snail Performance/Tayko Garage are also doing something very special for Dylan, they're donating proceeds from there race series to benefit him.
The amount of support that has been shown for Dylan and our family online has been incredible, never in my life would I think friends, family, and strangers would all band together for a cause; and more importantly never for my family. Some think I'm very negative or afraid to ask for help, or that I even dislike most...the fact of the matter is, I just don't care to burden folks with my issues, my life, and my unfortunate circumstances. I know its not fun to hear about a sick kid or someone with cancer, etc...and this is why I have always kept my family and our personal stuff to ourselves.
I have learned a lot today, not that I think most people are bad or don't care, I just never truly grasped how much folks can/will care for others if given the opportunity. None of this is about money, nor did a epiphany happen because of it, I truly don't care if someone gave $0 or $xxxxxxxx...the gesture alone speaks volumes and I hear these folks loud and clear. Thank you all for keeping my family in your thoughts/prayers. We have very tough times in the upcoming weeks and YOU have all eased that burden/fear on my family and us, furthermore you have warmed our hearts more than I ever could of imagined. Please know that we respect everyone of you who have put us into your lives albeit prayers or a dollar amount shared with us; we are eternally grateful to you. I don't have the words to truly extend my gratitude.
-Noah