I was awake at 2:30 this morning ... five hours of sleep. I wanted more. I knew what it would take .... So, I quietly slipped out of bed and ...

Billy said, "Where are you going?"

"I need some melatonin and some ibuprophen and I'll probably stay awake long enough for the melatonin to kick in and ... you know ... check The Total."

"I figured as much."

So I thought he went on back to sleep ... but in about 45 min he's in the living room with me and my pc.

"So what IS The Total?"

"$5400 when she went to bed at 10:30pm"

And he who had originally acted somewhat distantly tolerant of my persistence in posting "For Kelli" notes all over the web became Very Excited.

"You know the insurance is just going to Hate This!"

"Am I suppose to care?"

Actually, Billy had reached Excited when he came home from work: "So what's The Total, Now?"

(I told him a number I don't remember)

"Really Already! That is very excellent. People are only just starting to get home all across the country."

So we checked The Total again before we went to bed (9:30 est) And we said to each other, "Oh this is very good! Yes, and there will be another wave after put people put their children in bed tonight."

And then ... this morning at a decent hour ... V was having a small hardware crisis while trying to work from home and I was trying to help her ... but I needed a bit of info so I dropped a quick IM to Billy at work.

I got a very quick answer followed by, "So what's The Total Now?" So I went and looked and then reported it to him and he became Very Very Excited all over again.

And I returned my focus to V by apologizing for the delay because Billy wanted to know The Total. But she was already in the know about The Total and equally excited and amazed.

And so it is that booMama's whole project for Kelli became just solely known as THE TOTAL.

I, of course, have just cried every time I've looked at that total ... just to see it go up and up.

I am not as amazed as booMama ... No, not because I worked so hard to get the word out. I am not even sure my efforts were noticed by very many ... and No, not because I've seen the web work before.

I am not amazed because Kelli had been so on my heart already ... and when I discovered that booMama was up to a plan, I was so relieved until I realized I knew some things about Amazon's system (her original plan) that she might not know. SO I emailed her in a panic. But she is a smart woman and she had already figured out that there were too many limitations with Amazon and had already figured out another plan with PayPal.

But in the email she said something about a number she hoped for and I felt very clearly that God said, "She doesn't ask enough. Ask for more and watch what I will do." ... Really ... this is going to sound rather presumptuous .. but I felt like I heard Him chuckle.

And so I asked for more. I was not alone. Evidently, from reading the posts over at booMama's, there were quite a few who believed in asking for more. This is not to say anything bad about booMama ... I just think that God told each of us to think bigger in whatever way we could handle. I mean booMama was already thinking way huge just to get this started.

So, while I am not so amazed ... I do feel so incredibly blessed ... hugely hugely blessed. Like I can say "this is amazing" and all I feel is the same as saying "this is exciting." But I cannot say "I feel blessed by this." without tears of joy just spontaneously pouring from my eyes.

There have also been several who have mentioned that they believe there's something more in store for us to do. I have an idea that they are right ... and that this isn't just about Kelli.

We shall see what we shall see.

Thanks to all of you who helped get the word out. The ones I know:

Mary-LUE of Life, the Universe and Everything
Sari of The Geek Inside
I also want to mention Kim of Knitt'n Kittens. She's in my blogroll and new to blogging. I never got a chance to contact her but I was very proud to see she'd found out on her own and was proactive about it.
Tonya ~ My friend of 10+ years emailed her extensive list.
JoAn ~ My friend, of goodness, I think 5 years, already, also emailed her extensive list.
My niece, Meghan, emailed her MySpace and Facebook friends -- 100's of them.
My niece Emily, nephew Forrest, and Daughter V all let me post to their friends comments on MySpace.

(I also snuck in some "For Kelli" comments on some other "friends" who have been advertising greeting me on my mySpace page on a regular basis ... and I felt no grief.)

And I inadvertently caused a stir in the new forum: Community of Bloggers. I think you should check out them out because I feel like they had to check some of their fears at the door in order to take a swing at participating.

So how much, finally, was THE TOTAL? What? You think I look like info central? Go take yourselves over to booMama's and find out for yourselves.

And tell her, "Thank you for providing us with a way to help in Kelli's healing." Yes. Go tell her even if you don't have a blog. It's legal. I promise.

And then, go somewhere quiet in your heart and thank God for the same blessing because, as I've said before, we don't always get the chance to participate.

Thanks Bunches!
pam