Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Just Your Average Every Day Hero

Last night, Derek got called into work to rescue a man that had crashed his hang glider into a tree. He was about 40 feet off the ground and the park in which he was gliding could not reach him. So, they called in the National Guard and Derek and a few others went to get him. Derek was flying the helicopter in this clip (he is the bright spotlight). His missions are medevac and include a crew member going down a hoist to rescue people, which is how they got the man out of the tree. They also did this countless times during Hurricane Katrina, rescuing evacuees from the tops of their homes.

Speaking of heroes, the other one in my house, Evan (I believe anyone who has to manage autism every day is a hero of the largest proportion), got a special delivery. All of us Hortons received our shirts for the Tennessee walk in support of autism from Lauren, Meagan and Megan. How cute are these shirts and the little people in them...



Thank you to all of you who have given to this cause that is so close to my heart in honor of my Evan. We are so close to our goal. If you would still like to contribute, you can click on Megan, Meagan and Lauren's picture in the top right corner. Thank you for helping us kick autism in the rear! And, thank you Meagan, Megan and Lauren for the SUPER cute shirts. I don't think I could ever be more proud to wear anything! Love you girls!

I leave you tonight with what I found Ella Grace doing when I went in her room to get her picture. She learned to do "monkey arms" at Gymboree on the monkey bars, but I guess the side of a crib works, too.

I hope you are all having a GREAT week! Lots of love!

20 comments:

Kelly said...

Cute shirts!!!! I'm so excited about the walk - wish I could be there! I'm glad you get to meet your TN friends!!! :-)

Jacquie said...

Those t-shirts are so cute!! If EG keeps it up, she'll be one tough girl in the gym doing pull ups!

tondays said...

when i saw that on the news last night, my first thought was whether or not Derrick might be the pilot! so i did see him on the news!

love the shirts & the little gymnast - watch out shawn johnson!

Laura said...

You are so special, Leigh Ann, to live with TWO heros!! What great news!!

LOVE those shirts!!!

Candy said...

What a wonderful rescue story! :) How exciting about the walk! The T-shirts are just so cute!!! EG is something else hanging from her bed! HOW CUTE!!! I'm sure Ella would love Gymboree classes, ours is just located so far out. It looks like EG is learning alot there though! :)

Anonymous said...

Those shirts are so great!! You are definitely living with heroes, and I think you're a hero too!
Ella Grace is so sweet, that is the CUTEST picture :) Have a wonderful week!!

Angela said...

That girl...she is so funny! She will be hanging from places you never even thought to hang off of :).

That is so cool that what is Derek's normal day is such a heroic thing. He probably thinks it is not a big deal, huh? You must be so proud!

Those are the CUTEST shirts. How sweet!

Megan L Hutchings said...

Yay! I am so glad that you got the shirts ;)! Evan & EG look absolutely adorable in them! I can't believe we get to see you in just a few weeks...OH MY GOODNESS!

Your husband is amazing! He is definitely a hero in more ways than one!

Lauren said...

Derek is amazing! That's so great that he got to do that. I bet you're nervous, though, when you know he's doing stuff like that!

I'm so glad you like the shirts!! I teared up when I saw the picture of Evan in his.

EG is HILARIOUS! That's all there is to it!

Nicole said...

Those shirts are so cute.

The pic of EG on the crib is so funny. I used to use the bunk beds when I was a little girl...

Julie said...

Those shirts are so neat!! I'm a little behind on reading posts. So my comments may be random, but I loved the black and white picture of EG in the rocker!!! Adorable!!!

Faith said...

Love the shirts! And, that Ella Grace is too, too cute!

Heather said...

Leigh Ann- I totally saw that story on the news but didn't know DEREK was the rescuer! That is so cool!!! I love, love, love those shirts- they are precious and even a little one for EG!!!

And Yes, friend, my hubby AND my sis-in-law Jenifer know you and love you from OBU!!!!! We MUST do lunch soon!

Abby said...

Wow! They must be some real sweet girls! That is going to be one great experience!

Betsy said...

Those shirts are so cute. And Evan and EG look great in them!! Haha...EG is sooo funny hanging on the side of her crib like that!

I know you are excited about meeting all the TN girls! How fun! What a sweet group they are. I know ya'll will have a great time together for a great cause.

And, yes, you are married to a HERO!! Tell him thank you for all he does!

Megan said...

I didn't know that bright light I saw on the news lastnight was Derek! Good for him! Since I work with kids who have autism, my eyes have been opened to a little of what you're going through. I'm praying for you all.

The Garners said...

What a cool rescue story!!!! Cute shirts, too!!! You have such a neat family!

Heather said...

Those shirts are adorable! And, I love that picture of EG. She is precious!!

Rachel Wheat said...

I was just catching up on old posts. You have been one busy woman! so glad school is going well for Evan and EG is getting so big! My dad used to fly those same rescue missions all the time. Its crazy how many forest fires there are a year --seemed like he was always off to help fight one or rescue somebody! :) Everday heros! Happy to hear all is well your way and I guess we will be welcoming you to TN soon!

His Doorkeeper said...

You have two male heros in your sweet family...Derek and Evan!

God bless them both!

That is the cutest picture of Ella Grace I've ever seen. Maybe she watched the Olympics too much last week!