Fried Fundraiser

Today, I ate my first piece of fried chicken in the year 2010. I guess it seemed to fit the occassion. After all, I was nice and crispy, why shouldn't dinner be?

This week was absolutely jam packed with activities--regular life, marathon training, finalizing fundraisers, and getting ready for today's bake sale and yard sale behind Great Clips. Everyday felt full, and last night I was up until 11:30 making peanut butter blossoms, popcorn balls, and carmel apples. It took considerable effort to stay awake, since my 6 mile run that afternoon had really proved challenging. I think I'll save that for another blog though.

This morning the alarm went off at 6:30, and I peeled my eyelids off my eyeballs, got dressed, and made coffee. At 6:45, my grandma arrived. She had graciously offered to watch my children during the fundraiser. It was a good thing too--as about 11:00 last night, I had realized the children and the yardsale stuff would not both fit into the van simultaneously. As it was, I had to drop my hubby off at work before I could put the last of the baked goods in the passenger seat.

At 7:45, the sun was just coming up, and I was parked behind the Great Clips, unloading my van. I had already discovered that though I had dutifully shoved in everything on my list, I had missed obvious conveniences--such as my cell phone. By 9:00, I was also wishing I had brought my sunglasses, a hat, and some sunscreen. Though the air was cool initially, the day was quickly becoming the "cold soda" type and not the "hot coffee" type. Unfortunate, as I had just prepared a large pot of coffee to sell with my cookies.

Yes, I was the only one to drink the coffee. The morning wore on, and by 11:00, I had had less than five people visit my sale; but those who had stopped, had purchased some items, so it wasn't a complete loss. Still, I got a bit more pro-active with the coupons that Great Clips had given me for a dollar off a haircut and a dollar to the LLS. For a while, I ran across the parking lot when I saw folks park and handed out the coupons. Then I'd sit in my camping chair. And then I'd open the back hatch of my van and sit in the shade for a while. I repeated this curcuit several times over the next few hours until around 1:20 when I started putting things back in the van.

Ironically, that's when quite a few people decided to stop and look through the boxes I had already started to pack up. It was a few minutes after 2:00, when I sighed a happy sigh (because it hadn't been a bad morning), and got behind the wheel of the van. When I turned the key, nothing happened. Apparently, the combination of my shade breaks, and the extra long load-up had drained the battery dry. And no cell phone. And no cables.

Can I be tired now? A kind employee of the Great Clips let me call Grandma and Wade. Wade made a few calls, and pretty soon, he let me know that my mom and dad were on their way to give me a jump. In the meantime, I sat on the curb and waited. That's when I noticed the sunburn. It was the last thing I expected in the middle of October! The sun had almost moved to the other side of the building, so I found a small spot of shade and waited until my parents arrived. Dad had the van running in no time, and pretty soon I had picked up my husband and headed home.

Before long, all of us--including grandma--were gathered around a KFC supper, and sunburn and all, I just felt HAPPY. I hadn't made a huge amount of money, but it was a start. I had enjoyed talking to people about a good cause, and I had enjoyed doing something that was bigger than me. I felt happy to have had a husband who would cheerfully help me out of a bind. I felt happy to have a mom and dad who would still come to my rescue even though I was thirty-two. I was touched by my grandma's gift of her time, as the day certainly would have been much longer with two kiddos to chase; and there's nothing like coming home to two little people who run to you for hugs like you're the best thing they've seen all day.

When is the last time you were just thankful for well-being? For being loved? For the meal on the table? For the smiles of your children? So often, I have been guilty of the letting my day be ruined by the one forgotten thing, the car that won't start, the sunburn. Learn a life-lesson alongside the fried fundraiser, and in spite of the sunburn, don't forget about the beautiful sunshine behind it all! Bring on the aloe vera!