My list of inexplicable volunteer activities

Things Mary and I volunteered to do, supposedly in support of our children but really because we thought it would be cool or fun or we just didn’t think about it before saying yes:

·         Built a full-size, working pumpkin carriage for Cinderella

·         Served as cookie managers for the Brownie troop - twice

·         Escorted a first grade trip to the Puyallup Fair

·         Chaperoned a choir trip to Korea – (This was Mary – I would never be so silly!)

·         Hosted up to forty kids for a Christmas cookie decorating party, six years in a row – (Okay, this one was mine, and I still have the multipled sugar cookie recipe that yields 1200 Christmas trees, snowmen, and Santas.)

·         Put up more Christmas lights each year until the FAA started using our house as a beacon for airliners

·         Ran the concession for x number of school plays at a succession of schools

·         Slid around town for three hours taking half the drill team home on the night of the big snowfall when it turned out none of the other parents had four-wheel drive. Neither did we, technically speaking, but SOMEONE had to get them home!

·         Served as line judge for the volleyball tournaments – Not a popular position as it turns out, and impresses no one, but I think I look fabulous doing the dance steps

·         And other things, innumerable

So, what’s the point of building and sharing this list with all my blog buddies?

·         The plus reason – I wanted to share with you how much we loved doing whatever we needed to do to be supportive of our daughters’ activities as they grew up, thus proving we were the coolest parents at (Stevenson Elementary / Odle Middle School, Sammamish High School).

·         The other reason – As we sit watching Survivor and arguing over who’s going to put the kettle on for tea, I felt the need to remind myself that I once had energy and commitment.

·         You choose.