Every Year It's Something....

...and I can only hope that this year's 'something' is done and nothing else unexpected is going to happen. I'm talking about 'Fruit Sale Stories.' My friend who helps me with this crazy fundraiser reminded me last night that I told her last year that some fiasco happens every year with fruit sales so that I always have stories to tell. :-)

So here's my story.... I was called on Friday of last week and told that our fruit would be arriving first thing Wed. morning -- at 8:30am. "You are the first delivery of the day, so the truck should be right on time!" Well, that's what they told us last year and it was 2 hours late... that should have made me suspect, but no, ever the eternal optimist about these sorts of things, I was sure we'd being seeing a fruit delivery truck at 8:30am on Wed. So I started sending emails and making calls for volunteers to help unload -- making pleas to strong men to please come and help us unload these boxes of fruit! People were emailing back and calling to say they'd be there.... all was right with the world. ;-)

So Sunday afternoon, my mother-in-law, Louise, arrived for a visit to see both Anna and Mackenzie's Christmas band concerts. Well, most of Monday she spent watching me field phone calls about band uniforms and getting things organized for Anna's concert on Monday night and baking goodies to bring for the reception afterwards... then the night was spent at the concert. Tuesday, we planned to spend some fun time shopping and just enjoying the day before Mackenzie's concert on Tuesday night. Well.... we started over the mountain on our shopping trip and just about as we got to Target, my phone rang. It was the school. Our very sweet and helpful and always cheerful receptionist at school (Pam) was calling to tell me that the fruit truck was in Albertville and would be at the school within the hour, ready to unload. WHAT!?!?!?!?!

So I turned the car around, ran home and ate a quick sandwich, changed clothes, apoligized to Louise for having to abandon her and our plans for the afternoon, and ran to school. And then spent the next 2 hours unloading a truck full of fruit with the band director and several very eager (and sometimes even helpful - ha) middle school boys. They were happy to get out of class and the principal rewarded them with a soda for their efforts. :-) There was no time to get any other help -- the one mom I called didn't get my message until 4:30. But why ruin anyone else's day, right? And it all got done... it always does somehow. We even managed to get the big 18-wheeler that was blocking the path of the school busses out of the way and back on the road, just in time for school to let out. Whew.

I won't recount the rest of the day from there, but it didn't slow down any, at all... but as I settled from the initial frustration and adrenaline rush of the crisis that was now behind me, I realized that really we had a nice afternoon, as far as weather was concerned, to unload the truck. This morning wouldn't have been nearly so nice.... and several people no longer had to go out of their way (including me!) to be at school first thing this morning. So I said a little prayer and thanked God for the seeming 'inconvenient' things that happen that often times have a silver lining to them. :-)

Now I'm on my way BACK to school (actually, for the 3rd time today) to go and spend the rest of the day getting the fruit handed off to parents. Wonder if there are any more 'stories' to come of my afternoon? Uh.... hopefully nothing worth writing about. ;-)