What a Wild Week!

What a wild week!
I worked over 12 hours (plus a 2 hour commute) on Monday June 12, getting ready for my big event on June 13. June 13 was a very long, yet successful day! Thank goodness for Mark! I wouldn’t have made it without him. He did a lot of heavy lifting before and after the event…non-profit work go figure! Planning a fundraising event is a lot like planning a wedding…you work for months trying to think of every detail imaginable…you count down to the final event day spending the last 2 weeks wondering what you have been doing for the last 6-9 months…event day comes and you know that something must go wrong. You don’t know what it will be and it’s way beyond your control, so you must roll with the punches and hope that no one else notices that there is a problem…lo and behold it’s finally event time! Everyone has a good time. Things appear to run smoothly…just about the time that you start to relax and think “hey, I’ve thrown a pretty good party and I think I’m ready to grab a bite and sit down to enjoy it”…well, the party is over and everyone else is headed home. That’s when the real fun begins and you start “breaking down” the tables, chairs, and flowers that is…by this time you are way past the personal “break down”…ahhh the life of event planning. However, we did raise nearly $35,000 for a very good cause and positioned the event for strong growth next year.

Wednesday, I hobbled back into the office. Boy that was tough! I would have given a lot to pull the covers over my head and pretend it was Saturday. The day was very hectic with after event stuff. My office looked like a cyclone hit it (worse than usual) with boxes of event stuff stacked up all over the place and stacks of neglected work on my desk. However, at 2:45, I bid the mess farewell! Mark and Braden picked me up and we headed to Chicago. I have to admit that I reallllllly didn’t want to go. I was so tired and not feeling very social. But this was a very rare opportunity to meet Mary (Mark’s twin sister) and her daughter Hannah. Yes, after 4 years of marriage I finally met his twin. The family actually got together for a huge family affair over the weekend – the first of it’s kind since I met Mark. They really try to avoid the big gatherings and prefer family in small doses. This does have it’s benefit! Unfortunately, the schedule just wouldn’t work with my event stuff…the family dinner wasn’t until Sunday night and Chicago is a 7 hour drive from Minneapolis. There was no way that I could be out on Monday before the Tuesday event, so I sent Mark & Braden and wished them well. It was a bummer to miss the event, but worked out great in the end.

Mark & Braden came back to town. Braden got to spend a little time with his Mom and Mark helped me with the event and then the 3 of us traveled back to Chicago for some quality time with Mary and Hannah. It was a lovely visit! I've got to run, but more to come…including pictures.