Weekend with Tor Tor

I am so happy I have some time to "blog" again! I was going to write a post about the best memory with Tori so far and the worst, but I will save that for another day. I think it's necessary to write about this weekend! I have gotten a lot of compliments on the two posts below, so here we go.


This weekend was a busy one to say the least! After waking up Friday and getting some school done, I headed to Columbus for two nights. It was honestly one of the most stressful trips I have ever taken. I was already frustrated because I left later than I had wanted to (I like to get there as soon as I can), and then on the drive down Penny called and gave me some good, but not so good news about the Make A Wish trip to Hawaii. After getting lost in the "not so good" area of Columbus for 30 min, thanks to my GPS, I finally made it to the Svenson's OLD home (such a good feeling to type that). After discussing some Hawaii options, Hunter, Tori, and I headed off to dinner and a movie. We went to Chile's, and it was no nice to see Hunter and Tori interact with each other outside of the house. I can honestly say that Hunter is one of the most amazing big brothers I have ever known. He made sure she was okay in the backseat by herself, he made sure her dinner was okay and that she was full when we left, and he made sure she wasn't cold in the movies. His love for Tori is quite apparent. We then went to see Titanic 3D which was a really fun experience. That is one of the few movies I will watch more than once. The kids kept their "goggles" on the whole time, but I was taking mine on and off because they gave me a headache! We then went to their house to sleep in it for the very last time. I had to wake up early Saturday morning and head out for Salute to Our Troops at Fort Benning.

After the event on Saturday, my mom and I made our way to their new house that they just moved into. It is such an amazing fit for this very deserving family, and it was so nice to sit on the couch in their new family room thanking God for this miraculous blessing and all the details that came together for them to buy it. The home is spacious, yet welcoming, new, yet already filled with so much love and hope. It was Penny and Todd's wish to own a home soon so Tori could live in it with them... whether she has one year left or ninety years. I got to sleep in Tori's new QUEEN bed... which is significant because Hunter usually always gives up his bed for us when I sleepover. So now Hunter is able to stay in his fancy bed while Tori and I get to spread out in her bed....perfection!


Before I go on, I just want to say how rewarding it is to sleep with Tori. She likes to get her head rubbed while she falls asleep, and then during the night she slowly makes her way to my side of the bed and snuggles in! When I wake up in the morning the first thing I see is her precious, resting face, and I always just stare at her and say a prayer. I would change nothing about it.

Continuing....Tori woke up at 8am this morning and the first thing she said was, "when can I get dressed for my tea party?" The tea party was an event held in down town Columbus to help raise money for the family to use in whatever way they desire. She was VERY excited about dressing up for this! I got downtown early to help set up, and at 12:30 Miss Tori arrived in her precious brown and cream polka dot dress, cream gloves, and a cream/tan hat! She looked like a million bucks (as did Penny!!). I have to literally make myself walk away from her when we are at a public event because I would love more than anything to just be right by her every second of every day. It is so fun to watch Tori interact with people she has never met before. She is always so kind, gracious, and humble. She will always find something on a little girl to compliment, and will take a picture with anyone who asks. Everyone at the tea party was extremely supportive and anxious to meet Tori. When all the "princesses and their fairy godmothers" sat down to eat, Tori and Penny went up on stage to speak. Tori got the mic first and said "I just want to thank everyone for coming today and supporting me. I also want to thank Ms. Ashley (who coordinated it), and also God for this beautiful weather and for choosing me." Then Penny got the mic, and well, everyone began to cry at what she had to say. All in all, the event was very well planned out, and I am pretty sure fun was had by all! I think the dress-up photo booth was the favorite booth of the afternoon...Tori especially loved it (of course)!

While I KNOW Tori had so much fun today (I could see it in her eyes all afternoon), I also know that those who attended got so much more out of it. To hear the comments from other people kept it all in perspective. People came out today to support Tori and the family, but they walked away as the ones who gained a new outlook on life and a new found meaning of hope and faith.

Tori continues to touch others every single day she is on this earth, and she will continue to do so for the rest of her life.


-Love in Christ,
Leighton