5.27.2006 

Just Another Friday Evening...

The top picture is of the Speedway during the event and the huge screens used; the bottom picture is Cool Hand Luke himself at the race track

So yesterday afternoon while I was at Area Command, someone called wanting to donate 8 tickets to the world-wide premiere of the Disney/Pixar film "Cars." Since I was at the right place at the right time, I got the tickets. As always (atleast lately), I was hesitant to spend my personal weekend time doing work-related things. But I knew this was an opportunity that was once in a lifetime for these kids, so at the last minute, I gathered together a group of kids, got permission from their parents, and headed to Lowe's Motor Speedway in the rain and traffic in search for a new experience.

Yes, it took forever to get there... driving through traffic at the Speedway during a race weekend is never ideal. And yes, it took forever to be able to park, and yes, it took too long to wait on the shuttle bus to get us from the parking lot to the building. But, the kids and I were all in good spirits, and we finally made it to our entry gate. We had the unfortunate privilege on our way in of walking past some avid race car fans who had been enjoying the day drinking in the sun, but the kids laughed at their bellies hanging out of their clothes and their inappropriate t-shirts showing naked women fishing.

Along with the actual tickets to the event, everyone received these backstage-pass-looking badges to wear that admitted them in. When the security guards asked to see our badges, the kids all flashed theirs like they were movie stars. Then we got to walk down the actual red carpet on which all the celebrities were posing for the cameras as we entered the stadium. You should have seen the kids walking down this red carpet. I think they really thought the cameras were there for them. They were waving to everyone, hamming it up, and saying, "thank you, thank you..." Most people didn't pay them any attention, but they did get some smiles and "enjoy your evenings" from the event staff. Celebrities such as Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Cheech, and Mona from Who's the Boss were all there since they were the voices of characters in the movie. Once we finally got seated (after the whole group of us scooted through a row of people only to find out we were in the wrong seats and had to scoot back out again-- twice!), we were able to enjoy a short race, a military salute complete with airplanes flying overhead, and a concert by some country singer (Who, in the words of one of the girls with me, "has a good voice, for a hillbilly!") before the movie began.

As we were sitting there, it occurred to me that these poor kids must be starving... it was almost 9:00, and they hadn't had any dinner. Sure enough, right when I started thinking this, they started saying, "Miss Stephanie, I'm hungry." "Miss Stephanie, I want some nachos." And almost as immediate, a man sitting a couple seats from us scooted over to me and said that he was glad we were able to attend, and he gave me quite a bit of money to buy some snacks and drinks for the kids. It turns out, he was the one who donated the tickets to us, and he ended up being a sort of guardian angel for us the rest of the night by giving us money for food, giving us towels to wipe off our seats after it rained, and giving the kids souvenir t-shirts that they each immediately thanked him for and wore.

The movie didn't get started until after 10pm, so I knew it would be a late night. It was shown on huge movie screens that were 5 stories high and 50 stories wide. It was a really cute movie-- it's amazing the personality that animators can give to a car-- and it had some notable lessons intertwined into the plot. Luckily, before we had left the Club, I grabbed a couple of jackets from the lost & found and had Tilden bring me a blanket from home because it started raining while we were watching the movie, and it got chilly as the night progressed. When the movie was over, I woke up two of the girls who had fallen asleep snuggled under the blanket, and carried one of them as we started our trek back to where we were parked. After having all of the kids take turns using the bathroom in the bushes around the parking lot because we were parked in some gravel lot far from any real bathroom (we created a boys bathroom and a girls bathroom in the bushes), we hopped back in the van and headed home.

On the way home, I told the kids that it was after midnight, so it was technically the next day. They didn't believe me at first, but I explained a little more what I meant. Then one of the girls, the one I carried to the van, said in her adorable sleepy voice, "well, in that case, good morning, Miss Stephanie!" I dropped each of the kids off at their homes, waited for them to knock on their doors and their parents' bedroom windows to wake them up and let them in, wave good bye to me, and safely get into their homes. Then I too, went to my home. By the time I got home, it was almost 2:00am.

Yeah, I spent my Friday evening, night, and early Saturday morning working, but not only were these kids able to make a memory they will remember forever, I somehow did as well.

5.22.2006 

Pros... Cons...

Pros: wider range to impact kids; hours more conducive to a life outside of work; can enable others to make a bigger difference in the lives of more kids; have time to plan and implemet ideas; can continue to see kids but just less frequently and could possibly apply the quality-not-quantity concept; moving on-- something that is inevitable eventually; taking a step forward...

Cons: leaving my kids, some of whom I have worked with daily for the past 6 years; leaving the environment where I am most comfortable; not being hands-on with kids as much anymore; playing the boss role; having to wake up earlier; closer to the annoyances of administration; taking a step forward...

... in prayer about a new job opportunity, still with the Boys & Girls Clubs...

5.15.2006 

First Year Down...

Happy anniversary to us...

Tilden and I are celebrating our first year anniversay today... I have a feeling that we have many awesome years ahead of us filled with laughter, love, learning...

Thank you to all of you who shared in the celebration of us joining our lives together one year ago today!

5.12.2006 

So, I've been playing around with macromedia lately, trying to tap into the inner graphic designer in me...

By the way, I don't think graphic design varies greatly from scrapbooking...

 


Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

5.03.2006 

Boycott, anyone??


Exxon recently posted its 2006 1st quarter profits at $8.4 billion, which means that the company made $1,080 a second. With our current gasoline prices, that per-second profit is enough to pay for gas for the average American vehicle to be driven 7,750 miles... enough to drive from Seattle to Miami and back again. Exxon’s 2005 4th quarter profit of $10.7 billion is a record for any US company. And if that doesn’t raise enough questions, Exxon’s CEO recently received a $400 million annual pay and retirement package compared to Chevron’s CEO receiving $37 million and ConocoPhillips CEO receiving $17 million in total compensation last year (which is more than enough already!).

Does that piss you off at least a little? Who else wants to boycott some profit-hungry oil companies???

(info. received from cnnmoney.com)

Oh... and one more thing...

In Gaffney, South Carolina, Pantry, Inc. is suing Petro Express for low prices claiming that two of its stations offered gas below cost. Yup. Pantry claims that the lower prices violated South Carolina’s Unfair Trade Practices Act that says motor fuel retailers cannot offer prices below cost with the intent or effect of impairing competition. Seriously?? That’s like saying that car companies should sue each other if one offers a car at a lower price, or that Banana Republic should sue Wal-Mart for selling a black t-shirt at a cheaper price. There is actually a law that keeps gas prices from going too low??? We see whose side the law makers are on, now don’t we! They're on the side with the $400 million income-makers...

About me

  • I'm Stephanie
  • From Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
  • I want to make a difference in my world... I want to appreciate the beauty around me to the fullest... I want to experience life in every possible way... I want to love and appreciate each the kids at the Club everday...lots of wants...realities?
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