In case you didn't know who you were voting for...

HERE SHE IS!!!

Little Gracie! Lover of all things outside... snow, hunting, soccer, go karts.

For the past 2 months, the Hand family has been preparing for October 5th. Not because it's the day before Dad's birthday or 5 days before Anna John's. But because Gracie had been entered into a "Smile" contest with her orthodontics office and October 5th began the voting to win an IPAD.

Now... you must understand that Gracie is the youngest of 4 children. This has made her a very chill and mellow type of kid. (unlike the rest of us who are pretty loud and enthusiastic). Gracie just chills. She didn't speak until she was 2 and she didn't smile long after that. Just a somber and content little one. Well... the tides quickly changed when she found out she had the chance to win an IPAD. I have never seen this girl get quite so competitive. Like I mentioned earlier... MONTHS ago she began scheming the plan for our family to win her this IPAD. "Since every single one of y'all have a computer and a facebook, y'all are gonna have to put it everywhere." Gracie sent us emails telling us to Blog, Facebook, Twitter, text, email. You name it, she had demanded that we do it.

For the past week, I have probably sent out 100 texts with the directions on how to vote, I have clearly been updating my FB status and Blog to get anyone and everyone to VOTE VOTE VOTE. About 6 hours before the end of the competition I began thinking about what a disappointment it was going to be if we didn't win it for gracie. I called home... to see what they were feeling, My house sounded like a Presidential campaign headquarters! Phones ringing, people talking, there were TONS of people at my house trying to help little gracie win. I told mom, you know we could have just bought her an IPAD and not gone through all this trouble. But honestly, what's the fun in something when it's just given to you? You know. Sometimes it's more fun to earn or deserve something. Well... All you of you must have felt the same way!

I literally have not laughed as hard as I did in the last 2 hours of voting last night. and it was all for an Orthodontist's smile contest. So many people, some that I don't know said they were voting, getting their friends to vote, getting people they don't know to vote. We had people in every southern state, staying awake to see if little missy was going to win. I know of a couple of votes that came from Hawaii, Scotland and China!

Well- It worked!! She won with 600 Votes in the last few seconds!! She won by 10 votes!!

So...I just want to say...

THANK YOU! thank you for first of all letting me annoy you and then for jumping on the bandwagon to help a 10 year old you don't even know win an IPAD. Y'all were hilarious. We enjoyed the race so much and appreciate ALL of you for helping out so much! I'll be sure to let you see pics of gracie on the couch with her IPAD. She will be very appreciative of you!

Leah