Done

My last Homecoming Tailgate Party is in the books. Finished. Done. Over. Kaput.

It had taken over my life!

Don't get me wrong; it is my all time FAVORITE family fun night event that we put on. (Other than the Halloween Costume Contest Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A which is in 2 weeks!) The only problem is that it takes a lot of hard work to put on a tailgate party for 300+ people!! That's right folks! What started out as a party with about 40 people has ballooned into a huge family event for our school over the past 4 years.

After my friend Tonya and I called about 40 restaurants to get food donated we ended up with an enviable spread of gourmet delights. We had chicken fingers, BBQ, hot dogs, hot wings, pizzas and about a dozen or more sides. Desserts were chocolate cake, strawberry cake and cookies. I don't think anyone really left hungry. We even had people walking up and asking if they could pay and eat!! Of course we didn't turn anyone away. Also, per usual the temp dropped to the first really cold night of the season. But people still showed up!!! It was great, fun, exciting and exhausting. I fell asleep as soon as I fell into bed. And, according to hubs, I didn't move but one time the entire night. He said it actually scared him when I did move because I had been so still!!

Here's the run down of my Homecoming Festivities:
6:45 Alarm goes off. Push snooze.
6:54 Alarm goes off. Push snooze again.
7:03 Alarm goes off. Realize if I don't get moving we'll be late!
7:05 Shower
7:20 Wake up girls. Wake up Andy.
8:00 Head out the door to school.
8:20 Finish handing out tailgate ticket envelopes (people turned them in that morning!). Have more tickets made. Stuff more envelopes. Hand out more envelopes.
8:45 Head to Belle's pep rally.
9:30 Bust out the backdoor, do the Pep Rally Dash and head to Hayden's pep rally.
10:20 Head to pick up some of the donated items for tailgate.
10:30 Drop off more tailgate tickets and pick up the 3 MORE that were dropped off!
11:00 To high school to find out that no they are not pre-selling adult tickets for the game.
11:30 Get girls from early release. Which means matinee brawls in my house!! Whoo hoo!
11:40 Pick up more tailgate items.
11:45 Head back home; have lunch; everyone else gets to rest (ha ha) while I try to finalize a few last minute things.
1:40 To the Old City Gym parking lot to decorate the trailer for the parade.
3:00 Ride in said trailer in parade while trying to keep the girls from beaning people in the head with the candy they were tossing out. Like the elementary school principal who took one to the head and the assistant superintendent of the schools who took one off the side of hers.
4:00 Jump off trailer, collect girls and head to BES to get tables.
4:15 Start setting up for tailgate party, run back to BES one more time after realizing all I've forgotten, explain crazy hair, set food up, organize where people will be working.
5:30 Start tailgate party. Serve 300+ people dinner for 1 1/2 hours, chatting the entire time (don't act like that is a big shock!). Freeze behind off. And hands...
and face.
7:00 Clean up tailgate party.
7:30 Deliver tables back to the school.
7:45 Deliver left over food to Fire Station 14.
8:00 Recover my kids from Tonya.
8:15 Get kids to bed. Finish candy bags for 9 year old football team for Homecoming.
11:00 Fall into a wonderful dreamless sleep.

Saturday
8:15 Wake up to Belle asking me do I know what time it is and do I know we have to be at the field in 15 minutes?
8:45 Arrive at field with 2 fully dressed cheerleaders, seats, candy bags, camera and team mom bag. (Yeah I'm THAT good!)
9:00 Sit bundled up freezing cold in a downpour for 3 hours watching 2 football games.

I'd like to know why Homecoming means I'm never AT home?!?!?