Wednesday, September 24, 2014

thankful

If we're friends on facebook or you're following me on instagram and/or twitter... and really, why wouldn't you be?..... then you know that I spent last Thursday posting an hourly photo to document one of my biggest volunteer days of the year.... judging day at the fair. Well, truly, it was almost hourly. There were a couple hours in there where I kind of lost track of the time as we put the finishing touches on everything.

The pictures probably don't do the amount of work it is justice, but trust me when I say it is so so so much work. This I where I excel as a leader (I think, kinda, sorta), I surround myself with the very best people and I delegate, delegate, delegate. I am so lucky to have such an amazing committee at my disposal. Ladies that create beautiful displays out of the incredible art work the kids submit. Ladies that organize my paper work for me. Guys to lug the heavy stuff and work the power tools. Members who record hundreds of lines of data by hand and attach hundreds of ribbons. Fine folks who help me handle, literally, thousands of pieces of art work including that blasted lego which is so fun and lovely to look at, but gives me an anxiety attack when I have to move it. I may or may not have spent part of Thursday re-building lego projects. I pray to God I got it back together correctly, my apologies if I was off by a block or two. We tackled some big projects this year, new skirting and updating some cabinets with fresh paint and again I had lovely folks to help me get these done as well. I do this because I never get enough of seeing how excited the kids are to see their work up on the walls and out on the tables and I appreciate the team that enjoys it all with me. It's a lot of work, yes, but when you have such a fun group and share as many laughs as we do, well it hardly seems like work at all.

Outside of that work is the rest of my life that I need to keep going while I work on this and I cannot do that without family and friends. Grandmas who fold my towels and get my kids to and from school and riding lessons. Grandmas who let me drop my kiddos off on nights where there is another work bee. Kids who pitch it at work bees and put up with toast and eggs for dinner and laundry that never gets folded. My family (Mom, Linda, Dad, Linda, Mike, Abby & Maya) who are active committee members for months helping put this together. Many thanks go to Mike who's cooking more dinners, signing more agendas, making more lunches and trying to help out with more homework while I buried myself in pre-fair preparations and now post-fair paperwork. If you need me I'll be tied to my laptop for the foreseeable future.

There are my fair friends who help me out when they can and pop by and say hi or the building looks great. Ones who loan the use of their horse trailer so Abby gets her club achievement. Ones that borrow space and who are kind in ways I never expect just because they can be. Friends that work just as hard as I do on their committees getting their area of the fair ready, but are still ready with a smile and a joke. I spent this past weekend talking an interacting with these people in a way I never have before. I was happier, more relaxed and.... dare I say it.... even outgoing. It's something that strikes me after the moment has passed, just a second of wow, how did I get to be this person while knowing that all of them and all of this has played it's part. This whole gig just sort of worked it's way naturally into my lap and I am so grateful it did.

1 comment:

Lynn said...

How wonderful - such a great description of the fantastic reasons to volunteer. I absolutely love the way your whole family pitches in - your girls are getting the best life lessons!