Fleeting Moments: December 2008

It's been a few weeks since the race and things have finally settled back into as normal as it can get for this time of year. I am feeling in blog "catch up mode" again, and I finally realized the importance of writing as I go. The make up writing is less motivating and the details can get lost when it is not fresh. Those little details are the things that I like to have written down, so hopefully I remember them and I apologize if this is a bore. Just scroll through to see photos. So, here is what I can remember from that very blurry day/week of no sleep and a little stress.

The Turkey Trot has now proven itself to be a Folsom Thanksgiving Day tradition as we added an additional 1,300 participants to the rosters this year, bringing our total turnout to close to 3,200 participants and over 100 volunteers. What was I thinking when I dreamed this up and then told Todd he should do it? It is a lot of people to manage! Fortunately Todd and his right hand man, aka Felix Poggemann, were prepared for the crowd. Having 4 times the volunteers and a very skilled expensive chip timing company proved to be the formula for success. I was in charge of mail in registration and was given the title and responsibility of "Hospitality Specialist". So my job functions included some serious data entry for a few days and then the buying and distribution of refreshments for over 3,000 people. Food planning is not an area of strength for me. Just ask Todd or any of my former roommates. I would eat like a squirrel if I wasn't feeding others everyday, but I was happy to help and glad Todd trusted me to drive his truck with all the food again. (Last year I had a tiny accident when the car was full of the food.)

So we never know how it all will go, but the day before the race we had an all day registration and packet pick-up which kept Todd completely busy. Thankfully Sam's Club had a click and pull service where you order online and then they pull the order for you. Easy as pie, right? Well, when I went to pick it up on the eve of the race and they couldn't find my order I was a bit nervous. Not having food or drink after a six mile run might make people grumpy and that would really stress Todd out. Luckily, the order was finally located in the receiving area on 2 huge pallets that would have been 4 truckloads if it were not for Todd's dad who showed up and helped save the day. It was a serious workout to unload it all, but Noah even pulled through and was a huge help with the loading and unloading of it in some drizzly cold conditions.

This is just the water and some of the juice.

After the big order was in place we covered it and then I headed to Costco for the rest of the miscellaneous items that were needed. Emma really helped out with some babysitting after the real sitter went home. She actually took charge of Daegan and put him to bed for me while I was out with Noah getting this all done. One of the bonuses of having an almost 10 year old. She was great! Eventually I did get home and finished preparing the food and cutting muffins somewhere around 2am just in time to snap this photo of Todd and his very loyal friend Greg, who arrived home to fill the water containers for the aid stations.

The concrete in the front yard that drives me crazy is actually

proving itself useful with all the events going on around here.

I finally got to sleep around 3am with Todd still not back from setting up the course and dropping off water. At about 5am, Daegan crawled into bed with me and he was fevering. Not such a happy boy either. I looked over and noticed Todd had never unmade his side of the bed and the shower was running. He never slept! Not good, but I guess his non regular use of caffeine paid off and he was ready to go with the aid of some Red Bull. Daegan was temporarily cured with some Tylenol and we were up for the day.

Todd went right back out to get ready for race day registration and I got the kids ready. They were excited for the day to finally come when they could run this thing again. I am glad they are able to have fun in all of this. I feel so bad about their holiday week from school being so busy, that there is not much time for the regular holiday festivities. I feel like the older two are starting to get it. They see that there is a much bigger picture going on here than just Dad and Mom working. By seeing first hand how doing this for our community helps a lot of people they are learning some valuable lessons.

The race itself went very smooth. One of our sponsors made a video that kind of sums it up. The weather cleared up a bit and people seemed to have a great time. Daegan hung out with(on) me while Emma & Noah ran off with their friends. We were very grateful to have many of our friends and family help out and it made a huge difference. Every last bit of food ordered was eaten and every juice gone. We did have a bit of leftover water, but I over ordered on Todd's advice.

The race area cleanup was the only thing we need to plan extra help for to speed it up next year. (Our disaster zone in our yard is almost crazier, but can wait. It takes nearly a week to clear.) I made it home around noon and Todd made it back sometime after 2:00pm. (The race was just a few blocks away, so no drive time involved.) Our plan was to have dinner at Todd's aunt's house who lives about 20 minutes away, but by 3:30 we deliriously tired and felt unsafe to drive. I somehow made it to the store and bought some really bad food and picked up a new Wii game for the kids as a payoff for tolerating the busy holiday. They had such great attitudes, I was really proud of them. Missing out on a real dinner didn't bother anyone. It was really was nice to just be home and go to bed really early. I am not sure if I have ever seen Todd so tired or sleep so soundly.

Checks to the Food Bank and the City of Folsom Youth Scholarship Fund will be be cut soon. Todd has to finalize all the expenses before this happens. It appears that the payout will be over $20,000. It is a ton of work, but it is so worthwhile. Todd has a talent for making this work, and although he takes a lot of time away from his practice and gets very behind on his paperwork, I hope he realizes that what he has created for our community is a great family centered holiday tradition that serves everyone.