Night To Shine 2016

So, Friday was Clark's birthday...but Friday NIGHT was the Tim Tebow "Night to Shine."

"Night to Shine" is a huge prom for kids and adults who have physical/intellectual challenges. Tim Tebow has them once a year...all over the nation...on the same night.

Tim Tebow wants every girl to feel like a queen, and every boy to feel like a king...even if it's just for one night. If you need "prom clothes," you contact them, and the clothes are provided. If you want your participant's hair/make-up done, contact them, and it will be done for them. Night-to-Shine also gives each girl a crown when they walk in...and all the guys get crowns or sashes.

When they arrive, the FRIENDS walk a red carpet, with people taking pictures of them and cheering.

Once inside, there's food...someone will take their picture...there's dancing...karaoke. There are places where FRIENDS with sensory issues can be quiet. They can also sign up for limo rides (that's OUTside...DUH!). They have tons of volunteers who sign up beforehand, so no one has to dance alone.

Unless they want to.

Joshua had a BLAST!

Joshua said that he, and one of the other guy FRIENDS, got into a little "dance competition," and that...at one point...he was on the ground.

ON THE GROUND.

When I heard that, I immediately texted the staff from his Therapeutic Recreation program for photographic/video evidence, because MUST.HAVE.

"Oh, we saw it," they said..."and IT.WAS.EPIC...but we couldn't get our phones out fast enough."

RATS.

ANYWAY, while Joshua was dancing the night away, Jim and I took Clark to dinner for his birthday. We decided to go to a Chinese restaurant. Clark said, "Holly would love this." Holly was at work, but I went ahead and texted her, and told her where we were. She responded, "talked to Aaron...ON WAY."

So, our little dinner with 3 turned into a dinner with 5 in a matter of minutes...and WE LOVED IT. Of course, Aaron-the-son-in-law won't eat Chinese food. He only eats from the 4 food groups of chicken, pizza, burgers and steak. I wasn't too worried about him, tho. I figured he'd run through a drive-through on the way home...and I was right.

I apologized to Clark, because we were all rushing around on his special day, and he said it was FINE. He declared it the "Weekend of Clark," and said we could celebrate for the next two days...which I loved. He also put pictures of himself all over the frig.

Joshua was just a little disappointed that Tim Tebow didn't show up at his dance. Tim does typically fly to several locations, but Little Rock was not one of them this year (or last year). But, he said, "maybe next year!"

*Joshua makes a brief appearance on the Night to Shine video...he's about minute 1:04, walking on the red carpet from the limo. What a cutie!

"Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp." Psalm 149:3