How My World Changed Forever...Again

Friends We Used to Know

*I know Katie and Billy have announced their split.  Most of us saw it coming.  I am going to continue on with the book, and if I ever get to the point when I want to write the split, but for right now, I am going to write as if they were together.   My heart goes out to Annie and Hayley.  They've seen a lot in the short lifetimes and this is only one more check box.  I truly hope Katie and Billy are supporting them the way they need it because right now I can say they don't need parents fighting, affairs, replacement dads, or neglect.  They need unconditional love from their mom and their dad.*

Colleen's POV
November 23, 2019
Everyone has slowly gotten up, and I feel better today than I ever have. I only slept for about 2 hours, but I am ready to go. We get the twins down for a morning nap in the living room in their down-stairs bassinet and all of us adults are sitting around the island to prep for the childhood cancer fundraiser. Today is Saturday, but we ended up moving the fundraiser to Sunday this year because I was literally not ready at all. The girls are all with Matt taking blaze on a walk because that dog is wild.
We're pilling stuff up on the dining room table and most of it really is crap I have no idea why anyone wants. Of course I have piles and piles of merch and plenty of both Selp Helf and My Diarhee. We have probably a hundred little pins sold from when I was still touring. There are even some clothes from Haters Back Off that over the years, I've become less attached to. I also have some nine months pregnant maternity clothes because while I'm still not back in my regular clothes, I'm wearing early pregnancy maternity outfits. I had an Apple Watch donated as a prize. Jill ran to Lush and Bath and Body Works this morning on her way from Rachel's with the girls.
They also brought stuff too. The Leblancs brought tons of merch and some of it is even stuff they don't sell anymore. They even have leotards they used to sell. Katie also gathered up some clothing items that are iconic from Hayley and Annie that don't fit them anymore.
Jill brought some merch from their channel too, and we have a bunch of "Fight Like a Kid" shirts from Katie's campaign.
Also, they brought the camo dresses from a dance performance they did at Playlist many years ago.
At this point, I'm pulling random crap from around the house to give away. I care so much about this that there is very little I'm not willing to part with.
Rachel says, "Colleen, we need start organizing this stuff into packages to give away. If not, you deciding what to give away when is going to take all day.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Will you help me get down from here," laughing.
Rachel takes my hands and helps me down from the high barstool.
We all move over to the dining room and start organizing all the prizes.

Annie's POV
      We've spent all afternoon organizing prizes for the childhood cancer fundraiser that Colleen does every year.  She has so much stuff to give away and we brought a lot of stuff too.  My dad even dug up the shirts of me and Hayley's animations and baked potato shirts we used to sell.  I didn't even think we had extra of that stuff, but apparently we do.  We also have old water color merch and some of the current stuff too.  My dad even found an entire box of Bratayley leos!  Hayley, Katie, and I agreed to give away our camo dresses from the army Flair dance.  The Donnellys brought "live happy" merch and even some old "Flippin Katie" stuff.  Also, Jill and Mike pulled some strings with the shop and managed to get "Fight Like a Kid" shirts from Katie's team to give away to every single prize winner.
     We're helping Colleen group things together to make it a lot easier for tomorrow.
      Around 2 o'clock, my mom says, "girls, sorry, but we need to go start getting ready."
"I don't wanna," I whine like a baby.
"I know, but we need to leave by 3:30. We can't get out of it, sorry."
"Wait," Colleen asks, "where do you have to go?"
"Oh, I guess I never explained that to you. Though we are completely out of all of our contracts, there is one more obligation we have to fulfill, and it's a Make a Wish benefit concert. Annie's singing and Hayley's MCing. I don't want to put them through hair and makeup or anything there so I'm getting them ready here, soundcheck is at 4, we're meeting three wish families at 5, I'm leaving with the girls at 6, we're getting dinner, then have to be back by 7:30 for the concert," my mom explains.
"Yeah!" I say aggressively, "and I have to sing frickin 'Little do You Know' with Hayden!"
"That is true." my mom says as-a-matter-of-factly.
"You can totally use my bathroom if you want," Colleen says.
"Are you sure? I can just do their hair in the living room and they can get dressed in the downstairs bathroom."
"No, for sure. Our room's a mess because I'm a mess, but thanks to Erik, the bathroom's actually clean."
"Thanks! Okay, girls, I am not kidding, go upstairs or else we're going to be late."
My mom starts with Hayley's hair by straightening it. I add big curls to my hair because I just want to wear it down. For makeup, I just do very, very basic because I don't care at this point.