It’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year that our crazy life gets a lot crazier. I could lie and say it’s just a little crazy, but if you are around us for any period of time this week, it’s obvious that it’s not just a little. And you know what, I am ok with that.
Now, come Monday, I might be singing a different tune. In fact, I am just going to go ahead and throw this out there. For your safety, on Monday, it might be in your best interest to avoid me. I don’t do well on little sleep. I’m just being honest. I can be… a little cranky.
In all seriousness, I love this time of the year. I love Brownwood Reunion time. We have renamed it to the Feels Like Home Celebration, just to avoid confusion. I like the new name. It serves as an invitation to everyone to come on over and feel at home.
Aaron and I have been working with the Reunion for over nine years now. We have served as the Volunteer Coordinators for six years. The title basically says it all. Aaron and I help coordinate a lot of the volunteers that help at the Reunion. During the event weekend, we are constantly on the go from sun up to way after the sun has gone down. We make sure our volunteers are hydrated, pointed in the right direction and are equipped to handle different situations.It is a great job. It is exhausting. But it is very rewarding. One of the biggest rewards is the “family” that I have gained from being involved.
Five years ago, I was seven months pregnant with Kiera. Aaron and I were the Volunteer Coordinators that year for the Reunion. I remember walking into many committee meetings and my fellow committee members checking on me to make sure I was doing well. I always assured them that I was up for the task and was doing great.
Exactly eight days before the Reunion, I was rolling Volunteer shirts and prepping for the Volunteer Rally. One of my friends called me on my cell. He worked at Willie’s T’s and was informing me of an open position. He told me that Will wanted to interview me for the position and was it possible for me to come down.
I remember glancing down at my clothes and feeling my hair sticking to my sweaty face. “Are you serious?” I asked.
After verifying that he had not lost his mind, I hung up the phone and promptly called another friend. I squealed into the phone and begin to stress over what ifs. She quickly assured me that I would be great and then finished the call by saying, “try not to look so pregnant.” We giggled at that because I looked like I was carrying twins.
I went to interview and Will offered me the position of graphic designer. After I assured him that I could not hold out until Christmas to have Kiera, I accepted the position. I put in my notice and since I only had a week to train, my other employer was great and let me move on over to Willie’s.
I worked three full days at Willie’s T’s before Reunion hit. Once Reunion started, we were on the go. It was very awesome and touching at how many of the committee members jumped to help me. If I looked tired, they sent me to one of their RVs for rest. If I looked hot, they would send me to cool off. At one point during the Reunion, they sent me away to go relax and have a pedicure.
That is one of my favorite parts about the Reunion committee. They become your family. If you need help, all you have to do is ask and there will be several standing in front of you before you can finish asking.
Back to my story… By the end of the Reunion event, I was tired but not anymore than a normal Reunion. That following Monday, I went to work and then to my doctor appointment.
Dr. Stewart ran a couple of tests and sent me for an overnight stay in the hospital to check for preeclampsia. He assured me that Kiera was doing well but my blood pressure was higher than he would like it to be.
The next day, I was released and went to his office for a follow up. He walked into my room with his normal swagger and said, “You are going on bed rest.” I did what any normal pregnant woman who had just started a new job would do. I cried. Once, I stopped crying he assured me again that Kiera was doing well but that I needed to rest and keep my feet elevated. He confirmed that I did have preeclampsia.
Aaron loaded me back in the car and I called Will and promptly cried again. That poor man… I hadn’t worked for him a solid week and he was blessed to have to deal with an emotional, pregnant woman. But, he didn’t break a sweat over the phone as he told me to take care of myself and the baby and he promised I would have my job when I came back.
Once again, my fellow committee members stepped up. I received text messages and Facebook messages checking on us. When Kiera was born a month later, several came up to the hospital to see her.
Now, I am telling you all that so you can see how Kiera has literally grown up being involved in the Reunion. She always “hepped” when she was tiny as you can see in the pictures. As she has grown she has become more involved.
She has almost always attended planning meetings with us. We try to keep her from being too much of a distraction. This year, she takes “notes” for us and helps Sunni with the door prize drawings. It makes me happy when I see her at the end of the meeting helping someone put a table away or helping push a cart back across the way to an office. I want that for her. I want her to want to help people. I want her to give back to the community.
On the days that we would have meetings, we would let her know that we would be picking her up and taking her to a meeting that afternoon. She made sure and informed her teacher and anyone else around for the rest of the day that she had a “meeting” to attend.
I am excited for her help this weekend. Every morning for the last two weeks, she has woken up and asked if it was “cart day” yet. She refers to the Reunion as “cart day” because we are usually on a golf cart. Just to help clarify that.
I am proud that at such a young age, she gets to help us. I am thankful that she gets to be a part of such a great group of people that don’t look at her as a distraction or getting in the way. They look at her as part of the team. And that makes this Mama happy.
I encourage you to come out and attend the Feels Like Home Celebration this weekend. There will be so much going on and there is something for everyone. The Brownwood Chamber of Commerce has stepped up and taken the event over and they have done a great job. It’s a crazy time for so many people but it is worth it in the end. To see a family get to come out and enjoy time walking through vendor row, watching kids be in awe of the magician, seeing the community come together just to be together, it is worth all the hard work and sweat.
A special shout out to all those who have put in time working so hard to put the event together this year; Thank you! Thank you for all that you do and for being a great family! Let’s do this!
