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Post by celticsweetheart on Feb 26, 2012 14:56:54 GMT -5
Dinner was exactly as I suspected, sloppy joes, which I love. I had one sandwich and some fries before I headed off to class. I live in Pontiac with my family but I take dance class in Rochester Hills. It's a little bit of a drive but there are so few Irish dance schools in this state let alone in or around the area I live. As I head out the door I am reminded that winter is still around because its just as cold now as it was earlier in the day. I brave the cold for a few seconds as I get into my car which has been sitting outside the garage most of the day.
Traffic isn't bad but then again its around dinner time so the major streets are clear of traffic. I decide to take the major surface streets instead of the expressway which is usually still congested with people heading home going north on I-75. I make almost all of the lights without really even having to come to a complete stop. The odds seemed to be in my favor so far tonight I just hope things go this well when class starts. Class normally starts at 7p.m. but I decided I wanted to get a little extra time in to practice before everyone starts to arrive.
I pull into the parking lot of the Ealaín Céime Irish Dance School, there is only one other car in the lot. My teacher is almost always early to class since this is her livelihood, her chosen profession. This is how she gives back to community she lives in by passing on her love for Irish dance. I walk through the doors and can hear the sounds of Riverdance coming from the main studio. Instead of checking out the studio I head to the locker room to change into my workout clothes and dance shoes.
I come out of the locker room ready to take on this new task. I definitely feel a lot lighter now than I did 20 minutes ago. The one thing I hate about winter is all the extra layers of clothing you need to wear in order to stay warm. Now I head into the main studio to warm up and practice a bit before the others come. It's about 10 minutes after 6 when I finally start stretching. I didn't pay attention to where Ms. Anne had gone to because I knew that I needed to warm up my muscles after being in the cold for so long.
After about 10 minutes of stretching my teacher comes up to me just as I'm about to change the music in the CD player. It wasn't that she didn't want me to change the CD but to tell me what was in store for tonight's class. I really wasn't shocked but I said, "what will the rest of the class think when they realize that they were never given the opportunity to enter into this competition?" Her answer was simply that I was her diamond in the rough. Ms. Anne really liked quoting lines from Disney films. I guess that Aladdin was her favorite so far.
Finally, I changed the CD to something I enjoyed dancing to. I love Riverdance but somehow I was needing a little inspiration from Micheal Flatley's Lord of the Dance. I needed to practice the steps learned in the last class of 2007. Pretty sure there was more I need to practice but only time will tell. I knew I'd have to really put in 110% more effort if I wanted to be a contender which I knew my teacher was hoping for.
More and more students started coming into the studio the closer it got to 7 which was usually how things went around here. Most of students were younger than me; some were in their early twenties, a few teens and tweens, and a handful to youngsters who had mom and dad waiting for them in the wings when class was done. This was a moderately advanced class even though most of the class was still taught in steps like a beginners class; we were more experienced in jigs and reels.
Class usually started exactly at 7; Ms. Anne definitely liked to make the most of the time she had with her students. She would even stay late to help a student who might have trouble learning a particular step. Everyone took their places to begin the stretch routines. I didn't really need to stretch since I'd already warmed up prior to the start of class so I slipped out of studio to take a bathroom break and grab a bottle of water from the fridge in the office.
By the time I'd come back into the studio the class had just finished warming up and was ready to go. Before we got to the dancing part Ms Anne asked everyone to take a seat because she had something important to tell them. A couple of the other students were trying to speculate about what was going to happen. I just shrugged off all the speculation because I didn't want to give anything away.
After the class had quieted down, Ms. Anne was able to explain my participation in the World Irish Dancing Championship in Ireland. At first I wasn't sure what the rest of the class would think. When all was said and done everyone was behind the idea of having a fellow student participating in a big competition was cool. When everyone was on the same page, Ms. Anne said she would need everyone's help to prepare the student for the challenge of this competition.
Finally everyone would know I was the student who was going to Ireland to compete in this coveted competition. When I finally made my way to head of the class but to my surprise no one was really surprised. Wow!! Everyone came up and congratulated me. Ms. Anne continued her speech by telling the class about some of the fundraisers that would be taking place this coming Saturday. She asked everyone to take a flier before they left tonight. That was definitely a load off my mind now I just had to worry about learning more steps tonight.
After class everyone kept peppering me with questions about going to Ireland. I really didn't have a lot of answers to their questions all I said was if they wanted to help they could do so by coming to the bake sale and the pasta dinner. Before I left school Ms. Anne gave me a list of people I could ask to participate in a dinner/date auction. She also gave me a list of steps I needed to work on not to mention jigs and reels that would be an important if I wanted to be a serious contender.
- well im off for a bit, gonna get ready for the day, make pizza and some banana muffins.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2012 15:19:17 GMT -5
Colleen i liked your update. How old are you in this story.
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Post by celticbear on Feb 26, 2012 21:25:44 GMT -5
Colleen! Great Update! Glad your whole dance class is behind you 100% Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve for the fundraising part of this story!
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Post by celticsweetheart on Feb 29, 2012 9:43:54 GMT -5
Sorry I've not updated in a couple of days. Just having a hard time dealing with the fact that my home state will not have a concert this coming fall.
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Post by celticsweetheart on Feb 29, 2012 14:13:41 GMT -5
- time for a little recap from my last posting, then i'll get back to the story.
So the entire class was behind me 100%, which was great because I was so worried there would be some resentment from students that had been taking classes longer than I. Now all I had to really concentrate on was getting items for my theater auction a.k.a. movie memorabilia/gift card night.
Thursday afternoon I got to talk to my manager about making a donation to my cause. I'd explained the whole premise for the auction which included telling him my secret; he promised me he'd keep it to himself. He said that normally requests for donations would have to go through the home office by the individual making the request but given my desire to keep my identity a secret he agreed to call them on my behalf.
Now all I needed to do was get donations from other theaters. I'd already sent out an email to all the girls in the class asking what theaters they went to most often to see a movie. Before I went home Thursday evening the manager gave a thumbs up which I took as a sign that things were going my way. When I got home I made a list of all the different theaters from the replies I got. I also made a list of other theaters; the ones that featured live performances. My list contained large well known, college/university not to mention some local community theatres.
I wouldn't be able to call anyone from my second list until next Wednesday because it would probably be best to contact them during the week in the morning or afternoon. I wouldn't mind spending a Wednesday morning indoors for a change simply because the weather had gotten so damp and cold making for a strange winter. I'd have no problem calling the movie theaters when I got home from work on Monday or even paying some of them a visit on the weekend when I was free.
My next task was a little more complicated at least I thought it would be. I needed to figure out how many celebrities I needed to pull off the dinner/date auction. I did a Google search of my subject just to see what was out there. I'd found a bare chested auction for AIDS research but it was still an auction with about 12 men but I'm thinking of including women as well. I grabbed the list Ms. Anne had given me Wednesday night. Looking at the list I had a clearer idea of what this auction would be about.
I know I had stated this was going to be a dinner/date auction which might lead someone to believe this would be an auction of singles but that would not be the case. The whole idea behind this auction was the opportunity to have dinner with someone famous; most of the list contained influential members of the media. I took the list and divided it up into groups of four which would make my life a lot easier. I still didn't know when this auction would take place.
Now that I'd gone over that auction I had to figure what and who I would ask to participate in a St. Patty's Day auction. This auction would probably be most popular since St. Patrick's Day was a big holiday especially in Michigan. I jotted down words like jewelry, dinner , baked goods, concert tickets, clothing and wool. I know its not an exact list but its a start. My theory is you gotta start somewhere and my somewhere was very general.
Friday practically flew by but I was able to give Lisa a flier for the pasta dinner being held on Saturday night. I said I hope to see her there. She said she'd try to come but wouldn't make any definite promises which was understandable since she worked the opening shift on Saturday. Now all I needed to do was go home, eat some dinner and get a good night's sleep because Saturday was going to be a busy day. I had to be at the bake sale by 9 a.m. so I needed to get all the sleep I could.
The nightmares had subsided and I was able to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I was up at 7 the next morning. I decided it would be best if I just headed right toward the shower grabbing some breakfast just before I needed to leave. I made an egg sandwich on a bagel which I took with me along with a travel mug full of hot coffee. I was hoping this would not last long because I had a couple things I needed to do before tonight's dinner.
I arrived at the school a few minutes before nine. I wanted to make sure I was ready for what ever I was called to do. As soon as I came through the door, Ms. Anne ushered me into her office where I proceeded to take off my coat, hat, mittens and scarf. She told me that I was the face of the bake sale and that everyone would need my help, so I would circulate from table to table. She said that everything was taking place in the main studio. There was an area being set up so people to eat/drink and listen to music being played on the piano.
When I walked through the doors of the studio I couldn't believe what I saw, it was as if I'd just walked into a cafe in Paris. The decorations were amazing, the flowers, the overall smell made me hungry. It was a good thing I ate a filling breakfast even if I did eat on my way to the studio. I would definitely have to purchase a cup of coffee before the event was over. I wasn't really told who was participating I just assumed it would be everyday people who baked dessert items for bake sale events; I had no idea Ms. Anne had gotten local bakeries to participate which would explain the whole ambiance that was being created as soon as you stepped through the door.
Bakeries from all over the Metro Detroit area were in attendance this morning. As I walked around to the various booth I noticed how much work had actually been put into making this event successful which got me to thinking about my own event plans.
Just as I had finished inspecting the various bakeries Ms. Anne walked up to me. She told me that each bakery would be donating 3/4 of all their proceeds from their sales today. She even said the cafe selling coffee would also be donating 75% of all sales as well. This day couldn't get any better, this was definitely more than I'd ever expected. I'd been to plenty of bake sales in the past; not one of them could ever be compared to this.
The sale was to start at 10 but as I was peering into the parking lot from the office window, I saw a line of cars turning into the parking lot. I had no idea how many people would actually show up but the word got out early enough through various forms of media. The sign at the entrance stated this was a Taste of Metro Detroit Bakeries.
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Post by celticbear on Feb 29, 2012 22:06:47 GMT -5
Wow Colleen your Fund-Raising events are off and rolling! So happy that everybody participating in the Bake sale is giving 75% of thier event profits to your cause! Hope the rest of the events go good!
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Post by celticsweetheart on Mar 1, 2012 1:41:38 GMT -5
It was 10 a.m. but I was gonna wait until 10:30 before I made my entrance into the event. I was given a green apron with the words Taste of Metro Detroit Bakeries embroidered on front. I already had my hair in a pony tail which was standard practice when working with food. I noticed the parking lot was about 3/4 filled which only happens when a recital is taking place.
I headed from the front office to the main studio at exactly 10:30. As I opened the doors I was stunned at the number of people waiting in the various lines at each booth. I definitely had no idea this many people would show up to an event like this.
I noticed my teacher over near where the piano was; she then proceeded to introduce me to all the bakery owners who were in attendance at an event to raise money so I could go to Ireland. I use to want to be a baker but never really got a chance to prove my skills. I was always working in retail never food service which probably why I could never get a job at a bakery, no experience.
After all the introductions we over with I got my instructions for the day; I was to go around to each booth acting as a temporary server while the regular server took a small break. That didn't sound too bad I guess this would be the experience I was looking for. Maybe I would be able to work in a bakery after the day was over. All I had to do was ask the customer what they wanted; put it in a bag making sure to write the price on the bag with a grease pencil.
So I was spending 20 minutes at each booth waiting on customers. Sounds easy enough but it was anything but easy. I had one customer who wanted something that wasn't in the display case. It was a good thing the owner who was standing right behind me jumped in to help. She was able to fill the woman's order while I assisted the next customer in line. I think that was the only problem I had during my rotation of all 12 bakeries. Its a good thing I didn't have to help at the cafe, serving coffee.
After spending a little over 3 hours helping out on the floor of the largest bakery ever, I finally got a chance to rest. I went to the cafe to get me a hot cup of coffee w/cream. I took a seat at one of the tables and took a sip of coffee. This was no ordinary java this was better than anything I'd ever tasted. Just as I was about to finish, Ms Anne got on the microphone that was set up near the piano. She was about to make an announcement because she motioned for me me to join her at the mic. I never really liked microphones guess that's why I was never interested in being on-air talent in college.
There was about 30 minutes left for this event which seemed to be very successful. Each booth was contributing 75% of their earning from today's sales to our cause. At the mic, Ms. Anne said, "I'd like to thank everyone who came out this morning to this event. All the money raised today is going to help one student from my class go to Ireland this summer to compete in the World Irish Dance Championship. This is a great honor not only for me as a teacher but for her as student to showcase what she has learned at the Ealaín Céime Irish Dance School. I know Colleen will make us all proud when she represents this school in Ireland in June." I guess that was my cue to take the mic; which I did. All I said was, "thank you."
Before the event actually ended I went to retrieve my wallet from the office. I couldn't pass up the chance to sample some amazing desserts. I think I bought 2 items from each bakery and in a round about way I was making a contribution to my own cause. As the event came to a close I made my way around to every booth thanking the owners for participating in this event. When that was over with I had about 4 hours before I had to be at the local banquet hall where the pasta dinner was taking place. I hugged my teacher; then I went to retrieve my belongings from her office.
When I got home the questions started flying. Everyone wanted to know how was the event and did I bring anything home. I explained the whole thing going into great detail. I even produced all the bags full of delicious desserts. I said the event was a success but that I probably wouldn't know just yet how much money was actually raised. My family would be coming to the pasta dinner even though mom wasn't a huge fan of pasta except lasagna which I was told would be present at the event.
I decided to go upstairs to take a nap just a short one because I had plenty of things I needed to do before tonight's dinner. I was so tired that I didn't even change into more comfortable clothes before I fell into bed with my shoes on.
-tomorrow I'll get through the event Saturday night before I move on the the next event. I'm off to bed now its late and I need rest.
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Post by celticbear on Mar 1, 2012 22:03:07 GMT -5
Colleen Glad the Bakery Event was a huge success! I know the Pasta Event will be the same! Nice of you to contribute to your own cause by buying all those desserts!
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Post by celticsweetheart on Mar 3, 2012 1:44:25 GMT -5
Before going to the dinner tonight I needed to pay a visit to a couple theaters. First one was the AMC across from Oakland Mall the second was AMC Great Lakes Crossing theater which was on my way home. I had slept about an hour which would give me enough time to visit both theater in search of anything that could be put into movie memorabilia auction. My parents and brother were going to the event which didn't start until 7pm but I'm pretty sure they'd be there around 6:30. I showered and changed clothes; something more presentable especially if I was gonna try get a donation from each theater.
I left the house around 3:30 and I had to be at the dinner by 6:30. I got to my first theater in what seemed like a matter of minutes. I walked into the theater and asked the person at the box office if I could speak to a manager. The girl called a manager to the box office area. The theater wasn't that busy which was good because I was gonna be pressed for time. When the manager showed up I stated my case making sure not to forget any important details. I gave him my contact information; he said he or another manager would get back to me by Monday or Tuesday. He was interested but needed approval from the general manager before he could give a definite answer.
That didn't really take that long which was great because now I needed to travel up I-75 to Great Lakes Crossing's AMC theater. A couple of the girls in the class frequent Great Lakes instead of the one on Mound Road and M-59. Traffic wasn't really bad going north on 75 which was great since I didn't have a lot of time to waste. It took about 40 minutes to get from one theater to the next. Good thing this was the only other stop before heading to the hall.
I found the theater entrance which took a few minutes since I've never been to this theater. Heading straight for the box office I made my request to speak with a manager. The manager came as soon as the girl dispatched her request over the radio. I stated my case making sure nothing was left out as I did with the previous manager. I gave the manger my contact information; she said she would get back with me by Monday after she spoke with the general manager but this was definitely something she was interested in doing. She said, "this would be a great publicity for the theater." Apparently, this theater wasn't doing as well as the others in the AMC chain.
I certainly accomplished a lot in the little time I had to spare. Now I was headed to the River Crest on West Avon Road in Rochester. I prayed that the expressway was clear of any heavy traffic. It was Saturday evening and most people who went north for the weekend probably wouldn't be coming home until some time on Sunday. Luck was definitely on my side that evening. I made it to the hall on time.
After shedding my winter coat I found Ms. Anne at a table near the front of hall that was marked reserved. She proceeded to explain how the whole thing was going to work. People would pay as they entered section of the hall that was reserved for Ealaín Céime Irish Dance School. After paying each person would then take a seat at a table before dinner was served promptly at 7:30pm. The dinner included an assortment of pastas, coffee or pop along with a salad, bread sticks and dessert. Everything sounded good until she got to the part where I needed to make a little speech. I admit I did well in speech class in college but not sure if I was up to speaking in front of total strangers.
-more to come tomorrow, time for bed now.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2012 14:11:29 GMT -5
Colleen, I loved this update hopefully you'll update soon.
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Post by celticsweetheart on Mar 4, 2012 1:36:57 GMT -5
Before I knew it the entire hall was filling up with people. My parents and brother were seated at my table along with Ms. Anne and Ms.Kelly, another teacher, who taught classes in St. Clair Shores. I saw that my friend Lisa was able to come; she was here with her mom and dad. I was starting to get hungry as were a lot of people seated at tables around me.
At 7:20 the woman in charge of the hall made an announcement that dinner would start soon. Attendants located about the hall were waiting for the signal when to let tables line up at the buffet. I was glad that my table got to go first. It seemed like it had been hours since I'd last eaten. I don't really think I had any lunch just breakfast and some decadent pastries. I think my whole table was starving but I made sure to save room for dessert which I'd heard was amazing. As I went through the buffet line I inhaled the heavenly scents of all the various dishes. I filled my plate with light pasta dishes. I made sure to have a salad along with a couple bread sticks.
As I headed back to my table I bumped into Lisa. I said, "I'm glad you could come." What more could I say I was holding a plate of food and a salad bowl with two bread sticks on top. I placed my food down then headed toward the bar to get a couple drinks for me, my brother and dad. When I go back to the table I was finally able to take a bit of the food I had on my plate. It truly was like heaven. It had to be the best pasta I've ever eaten. I had to try some of the lasagna which seemed like the only thing on my mom's plate besides some huge ravioli which was also amazing.
Around 8 everyone seemed to be finishing up with dinner. This apparently was my cue to thank everyone for coming. I did enjoy speaking to people I just wasn't 100% comfortable speaking in front of a large crowd. I was more at ease with small intimate groups. Ms. Anne got up to retrieve the mic from the bar. So I guess she was gonna say something to the crowd first; which was fine by me.
After Ms. Anne finished speaking she motioned for me to come take the mic. I had no idea what I was going to say but after hearing what had been said by my oh so proud teacher it needed to be something profound. I took the mic trying to think about what I needed to say to the group of people waiting for me to speak. The first word out of my mouth was, "thank you."
Now was the right time to give a speech. I started by saying, "I'd like to thank my teacher, who put this whole event together." Everyone gave my Ms. Anne a nice round of applause. "I would like to thank everyone who came out to support me in my endeavor to compete against others at the World Irish Dance Championship in Ireland. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I can't pass up." Ms. Anne took the mic back and then stated there would be other upcoming events to raise money for this opportunity. A woman from the hall took the mic from her and said dessert was served. As before our table was first in line. I'd been waiting for the dessert which was the signal that the day was almost over.
Dessert consisted of tiramisu, cannoli and gelato. I had a little tiramisu along with some vanilla gelato and of course a cannoli. After I finished dessert I decided to take a stroll around the room, mainly to chat with Lisa. Luckily her parents were in line for dessert when I got back to her table. I was really glad she came. It was times like this when I could use all the friendly support.
She told me that the food was amazing and that she had no idea this many people would show up at this event. I told her about the one this morning which had just as many people. I said, "it was really crazy this morning." I then told her about meeting the two managers from the AMC at John R and the one at Great Lakes Crossing. I said they'd both call me back by Monday or Tuesday and if they didn't I'd give them a call back.
As I was leaving her table I scanned around at some of the other tables. A lot of people were still at the dessert tables which was understandable the dessert was divine. I decided to head toward the bar to retrieve another soda before heading back to my table.
At a table directly to the right of the bar was the manager from work. With a drink in my hand I made my way to his table. I said, "thank you for coming." It must have scared him because I swore he jumped out of his seat. He thanked me for inviting him which was a change someone thanking me. He had my donation waiting he just need to know when and where he would need to deliver the package. I told him I'd get back to him on the date. I left his table and meandered back to mine.
Random people kept coming up to me to congratulate me on my success. When I reached the table my mom said that they were gonna head home because it was getting late. I really needed to go as well. I said I would see them at home and then went in search for my teacher. Apparently she was having an in depth conversation with another teacher. I thanked her for everything she had done to make both events a huge success but that I really needed to get some sleep because I had a busy day planned for tomorrow.
I finally got home around 10:30 p.m. I got out of my good clothes making sure to put them back where they came from. After putting on my nightgown I then crawled into my warm bed. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.
Sunday morning my alarm went off at 9 a.m. Nothing really special was going to happen today except I was gonna visit another theater this time it would be the Emagine Theater in Novi. I spent most of the morning checking out my calendar for possible dates to do both the movie memorabilia and the St. Patty's day auction.
St. Patty's day was March 17th and the auction would need to take place before the actual holiday. I needed to think of what types of things should be included in the auction. I knew I need to have all the money for both tickets by the end of March or at least early April if I wanted to cash in on the amazing deal I'd found online. The movie memorabilia auction could take place sometime in February maybe the weekend before the Oscars. I could bill it as an Oscar auction but then again I was hoping to get items from live theaters as well. I could call it an Oscar/Tony Award Auction which sounds a little more impressive and accurately conveys that some of the items will be from theaters where you can see a live Broadway show.
So I settled on the St. Patty's auction to take place the Saturday before the holiday and the memorabilia auction could take place the Saturday before the Oscars which would be an amazing occasion. As for the live theaters I still needed to come up with a few I could contact on my day off. I tried sticking with smaller theaters and college/university and community theatres. I wrote down The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, The Gem Theatre in Detroit, The Macomb Center in Clinton Township, The Hillberry in Detroit, The Bonstelle in Detroit, The Grosse Pointe Theatre in Grosse Pointe Farms, The Village Players of Birmingham in Birmingham, Stagecrafters at the Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak, and The Farmington Players in Farmington, MI. I also wrote down the Fisher Theatre and Meadowbrook Theatre hoping they might be able to make a donation to my cause.
- that's enough for one night, time for bed. more tomorrow i promise. pretty sure once i get everything nailed down the closer i'll get to actually seeing a member of CT.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 12:11:36 GMT -5
Good update Colleen looking forward to your next update and when you meet the lads.
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Post by celticbear on Mar 4, 2012 21:34:55 GMT -5
Colleen Glad the Dinner went well and glad you have your date's set for the auctions.
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Post by celticsweetheart on Mar 5, 2012 2:13:05 GMT -5
Now that I had that list done it was time to shoot off an email to Ms. Anne letting her know that I'd chosen the dates for both auctions. The first auction which I've named the Oscar/Tony Award would take place the Saturday, February 23rd and The St. Patty's Day auction would take place on Saturday, March 15th. I told her that I might have to drop the other auction idea simply because I couldn't figure out how to set it up. I hit send and now all I had to do was wait. So I decided to take that opportunity to jump in the shower.
Once in the shower I hoped the warm water would get my brain pumping. With the warm water running down my body I was able to think clearly about Ireland. Words like claddagh, four leaf clover, leprechauns, pots of gold, fairies, fields of green, the Blarney Stone, celtic music, crosses, small country roads, Guinness, Dublin, Belfast, and St. Patrick all came to mind. Wow not only did my brain wake up but the muscles in my body were ready for the day.
After the shower I decided to make myself some breakfast. Nothing really fancy just eggs, toast, and my morning java. I turned on my laptop while I was preparing my eggs and toast. I poured myself a cup of java adding the right amount of cream. Eggs and toast done I took my plate to the table digging into my eggs. I guess all that thinking in the shower really made me hungry. I started jotting down on the pad of paper next to me all the words that came to me while taking a hot shower.
After I finished breakfast I cleared away my dishes taking them to the sink to wash later. I then started searching for the piece of paper with all the movie theaters I was gonna visit. I could go back into my email and create a new list but I didn't really want to do that. Wouldn't you know it was inthe last place I looked. There it was sitting on my dresser, I must have put it there yesterday afternoon.
Now with the list in my hand I checked off the three theaters I've already contacted. The theater I work for and the two I visited yesterday afternoon before I headed to the dinner. I decided to check off the theater I was visiting today. That would leave me with 13 more I needed to visit sometime within the next couple of weeks. I decided to group the remaining theaters by location which would maximize the number of theaters I'd be able to visit at once. I would visit the Main, The Maple and the two theaters in Birmingham on my way home from work. Wednesday was going to be the day I'd call all the other theaters since I'd have a better chance getting a response in the morning from them.
Before heading out the door I told my mom where I was going and when to expect me back. I didn't want to spend the entire afternoon in Novi. I didn't like being in an area I was unfamiliar with especially after dark. I was gonna make the most of my time in Novi by not only visiting the Emagine but also doing a little clothes shopping at Twelve Oaks Mall for some new clothes for my trip in June. I rarely went clothes shopping but I wanted to buy something special for my trip.
Wow that didn't take long at all the manager told me he'd give me a call by Tuesday to let me know what he was gonna put in the package he was going to donate. I was shocked, now I had two confirmed auction items. This good news was definitely a reason to celebrate. I think a frozen yogurt was also warranted along with a smashing new dress.
When I got home that evening I not only accomplished what I set out to do but I also bought an amazing dress that I couldn't wait to wear. As I walked through the door I could smell pepperoni pizza. I loved Sundays at my house. There was nothing like homemade pizza for dinner. I took my purchase up to my place before helping myself to a couple slices of pizza. I made sure to check my email before coming back downstairs. I had no new email so I picked myself up and strolled back down stairs bringing both lists with me so I could work, eat and watch a little television.
While I ate I created another list this one was of theaters that had agreed to make a donation. So far there were only two on that list but I had a good feeling about tomorrow.
Mom asked me how things were going with my projects. I told her things were looking up. She really wanted the best for me, letting me go to Ireland for this competition was her way of telling me how proud she was. I could always count on her to pick me up when I needed it. I even think my grandma would be proud of all I've accomplished if she were still alive today. I was about to embark on a trip that would take me across the Atlantic but also a journey that could change my life forever.
Around 11 p.m. I headed back upstairs with my lists and a couple slices of pizza to put in the fridge. I had to work tomorrow so I needed to get some beauty sleep. I might even try calling one of the live theaters on my list before heading to work. I might as well get a jump on making calls to those theaters when the opportunity presents itself. So I was off to bed hoping to get a restful 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep which I so desperately needed.
My alarm went off at 8 a.m. I felt refreshed and ready to start the day. I decided to grab a shower first before I did anything else. Five minutes later I was clean and ready for work. I made myself an egg sandwich on a bagel. I poured myself a cup of coffee adding the required amount of cream all while turning on my laptop. I perused the list of performance theaters trying to decide which one I should call.
It was around 9:30 when I decided to call The Grosse Pointe Theater to see if they would be interested in making a donation to my cause. I didn't have to leave for work until 11 and lunch was easy because I was taking the pizza I'd brought upstairs last night. My bags were packed and waiting for me by the door. I couldn't believe I got through on the first try that almost never happens to me. I told the person on the other end my story as quickly as I could making sure not to leave out any important details. The woman who called herself Angela said she would have Katherine Spellman, who was in charge of the theater give me a call when she go in. I politely told Angela that I wouldn't be home until later but that Ms. Spellman could leave a message I would get back with her another day.
Off to work I went , traffic wasn't so bad at least it didn't seem that way to me but then again I didn't start work until noon. Morning rush hour was practically gone by the time I got on the expressway.
Mondays and Tuesdays were the only days I could talk with Lisa which made work go by at a faster rate especially during the weekdays when we were incredibly slow. We talked about the dinner on Saturday night. Her parents really enjoyed themselves that night which was great. I thanked her again for coming. I said its nice having a friendly face among a group of strangers.
I told her about the two upcoming auctions. She asked if I needed any help. I said, "yeah I really could use some help trying to get non-movie theaters to make a donation." I told her I had already spoken to a theater in Grosse Pointe but I could email her a list of theaters that I needed to contact. If she could help me with those theaters that would be really great, one less thing I'd have to worry about.
I told her I was gonna visit The Main, The Maple and the two theaters in Birmingham before I went home. I said I had a good feeling but that I wasn't gonna count my chickens before they hatched. I said I had a total of 13 movie theaters I needed to personally visit within the next two weeks. I didn't think I'd get everyone on my list to participate but I was gonna try my best.
When I finally got home that night I had two definite "yeses" and two that will get back with me by no later than Thursday. I was so tired I changed into my night clothes and crawled into bed. I wanted to take a small nap so I set the alarm on my phone to go off in an hour. Maybe then I'd feel a little more rested because I had plenty to do that night before I actually going to bed at my scheduled time.
The alarm went off and I jumped out of bed. I headed directly for my list of movie theaters making sure I checked off the ones that I visited today. After today's visits I only had 9 more to visit. Tomorrow I'd visit the AMC on Mound Road and the AMC in Rochester Hills.
I then shot off a quick email to Lisa. I included a list of live performance theaters she could call. I gave her all the information she'd need once she made contact with someone of importance. I said just make sure you mention that this is an Oscar/Tony auction and any donation would be greatly appreciated. She also needed to tell them the reason for the auction. If she needed anymore clarification just give me a call or send me an email. The date for the auction was February 23rd just so the people she called had an idea when items would need to be picked up or delivered for the auction.
I'd got an email from Ms. Anne concerning my dates. The local high school was going to let us use their auditorium for our auction. She said if we got the items early enough we could create a program people check out prior to the actual auction. She stated she would put both auctions in the local paper once I'd gotten all the details nailed down. I sent her a reply saying that everything was going good with the Oscar/Tony auction and that my friend had offered to help me call some theaters for me which was great weight off my shoulders.
I shut both the computer and my laptop down for the night. I think they both deserved a rest before churning back to life tomorrow morning. I made myself a frozen dinner in the microwave along with a glass of pop. I watched a little television before I headed to be for my normal 8 hours of rest.
- i'll write more tomorrow, its late and i'm really tired. hope you enjoy. pretty sure i can smell the clean irish air coming soon.
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Post by celticbear on Mar 5, 2012 22:28:46 GMT -5
Congrats to Colleen for making headway with her donations for the first Auction! Glad the dates have been nailed down! NOW BRING ON NEIL AND THE REST OF THE LADS!
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