And another year has officially begun for "Me and The Girls"

All I can say is Wow.  I didn't have to be patient very long!  In the past few days I've gained 2 team members!  I am now officially a team captain that actually has a team.  I am really glad to welcome Pam Naumann and Lauren Fair to Me and The Girls.  It's a wonderful feeling to know that I will once again have people to share this difficult but extremely rewarding journey with.

On of the auction table from last year

Also 2 days ago I met with the Buffalo Wild Wings marketing manager to set up our 2nd annual silent auction.  I must say it was so much nicer to meet with her this year, since I wasn't nervous at all.  And she was very willing to help us with everything once again.  More than that, she was excited to help again.  She told me she wanted everything to be even bigger and better this year, that she will once again give us a BWW basket to raffle off, and once again give us 15% of sales (minus alcohol sales), and she even wants her servers to have pink ribbons on their shirts for the night.  She is also checking to see if she will be able to hand out flyers in take out orders to help us promote our night!  Her excitement was infectious, and has definitely rubbed off on me and my husband. In fact Andy has already started sending emails out again to try and get those big money items.  Love you hubby!  I have made a wish list for what I want most for the auction this year, now we just have to go out and get it all!

Another personal fundraiser I'm attempting is a "penny war" at my daughter's school.  This is where each competing class, team, or grade will have a collection jar in their classroom to collect pennies that the students bring in.  Students can also bring in other coins and dollar bills and put them in other classroom's jars, which will subtract and equal number of pennies from it.  For instance if a child puts a dollar in another classroom's jar, it will subtract 100 pennies from that classes' jar.  And then at the end of the fundraiser the class with the most pennies wins a pizza party.  To start the ball rolling I've written a letter to the principal of my daughter's school explaining my proposal.  Crossing my fingers that he will give a positive response.

I've also started planning a fundraiser to be held either in our town's mall, or in front of a popular store, though because it's still cold I really want it to be in the mall!  I have a friend that is willing to lend me her treadmill for a day, and I plan on walking 12 miles on the treadmill while collecting donations, and possibly selling bracelets, etc. if my teammates or my daughter want to man a table for me.  Haven't worked it all out in my head yet, but the wheels are turning...  Next step is writing a letter to the mall to ask permission, and hopefully have a meeting with my new team members to see if they are interested in this fundraiser too.  I could always change it a little to have at least one of us walking at all times for 8 hrs, or something to that effect...

And lastly, tonight is the night I am going to send out my first batch of fundraising letters, this year's theme being "Every 3 minutes one more reason to walk."  I remember last year how vulnerable it made me feel to send out letters, though I'm not exactly sure why.  So I think I'm more nervous about that than any of my other plans-in-the-works!  Crossing my fingers that I have a good response this year!

So another exciting year has begun...  Hope I can keep this enthusiasm and motivation up for the whole year!  Wish me luck...

Patience, not my strong point...

Patience is sometimes difficult for me.  I've been told that I have a saint's patience with my children, but somehow it doesn't work the same with this kind of waiting for me...

I've invited everyone at work and on my facebook page to join me in the 60 mile journey this year.  I have heard back from 4 other women that they are interested in joining me, all seem serious.  This would be so exciting!  I love the thought of sharing this truly meaningful experience with them, and I think it would be a lot more fun with them involved.  It's just so hard waiting for final decisions and for them to register, because I get as excited to begin as a little kid...  So I'm working on patience...

In the meantime, I've started my training so that I don't feel like I've put everything on hold.  Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law who purchased the family YMCA membership from my auction last year and gave it to my family for Christmas this year, I have a place to start.  I just don't DO cold very well; taking a walk in 5 degree weather is just NOT going to happen.  So I had to get over my fear of treadmills, not easy for me.  I think of all the times that I've tripped over my own feet, and imagine tripping, falling, and getting thrown right off the treadmill in front of a room full of much more coordinated people... But I've done it, and completed 11 miles in my first week of training.  My goal is 10 miles/week for now, since it's still early in the year.

Training started...check!

Fundraising on the other hand is where I have come to a roadblock.  I have contacted Buffalo Wild Wings to start the process of setting up my (hopefully) 2nd annual silent auction/ Dine-out nite, and should have the date for our 1st meeting next week.  I really want to have the auction date early this year, so I have loads of time to try and get really good items to auction off.  Last year I only had the date of the auction 6 weeks prior, and the rush to get items last minute made me crazy!  But without knowing if or how many people will be officially joining my team, I can't really make other plans since I would need their input if they want to do fundraisers with me.  And the hardest part is thinking that if all 4 others join me, I not only have to raise $2,300, I have to help raise $11,500!!!!!!  So the earlier I can start this, the better!

And I have so many ideas I want to look into and get started on this year!  I have to keep restraining myself from starting them (with the mantra:  Patience... patience... patience...) and from once again getting in over my head, since I feel pressure to think big with the huge number 11,500 in front of me.  That's not the kind of money you raise from just pampered chef parties or bake sales, that's BIG fundraiser money there!  Like a bowl-a-thon, a zumba-thon, car washes...

But I will be good until I know how many people will actually be on team "Me and The Girls."  I will try to be the model of patience, even though sitting in this chair thinking about all I will need to do is giving me "ants in my pants!"  I will start with just my personal fundraising letters, and other small personal ideas.  I will show restraint, somehow.  Wish me luck...