Monday, April 20, 2009

Can I Have A Margarita With These Tacos?

I have discovered a true fact of life. Never, in a group meeting, express enthusiasm for any idea that the group should do unless you are prepared to be the chair of said event.

At our church we have a group of ladies who have been meeting **forever** and doing various missions projects that require funds be raised. We raise this money by holding a holiday bazaar/clam chowder luncheon in the late fall and a St. Patrick's Day luncheon/treasure room tag sale in the spring. Well, this spring no one was terribly excited to make the traditional St. Paddy's creamed chicken on biscuits lunch, so we discussed putting it off till after Lent and doing a taco salad lunch instead. (Creamed chicken in March was done to accommodate our folks who were not allowed to eat meat during Lent.) I was enthusiastic about a "Spring Fiesta" taco salad lunch, and suddenly I was the chair...sucker.

Is there a shopping list, I asked. Yes, somewhere. Is there a list of duties from the last time we did this. Yes, somewhere. Is there support for this project? Yes, of course! Except for the tried-and-true crew of ladies who are always there for these big church-lady kitchen extravaganzas started calling me...."Dearie, I just won't be there that weekend." Seven of the women who are my best helpers and know where things are and were going to get me through the planning and executing of this luncheon are not even going to BE THERE!

Well, at least we have decorations. We used them two years ago, at the last taco salad luncheon. Pinatas and big tissue-paper flowers, right? But here's the ladies in charge of decorating, telling me that no one has any idea where the decorations were put last time. We looked in all the closets, the storage shed, and three different garages. The blessed things are just gone. Well, make a plea to the congregation for Mexican-themed decorations and hope we don't get frog sculptures wearing sombreros and smoking joints...

And the big event is this week. Saturday. Got my pie-baking crew and my taco shell-making crew. A crew for doing up taco meat and a team of waitresses. Somehow, despite my sucky organizational skills and the glitches, we're gonna do it.

And next year, I'm keeping my taco trap shut. Adios.

10 comments:

  1. ''Got my pie-baking crew''...

    Pies? - Mexican pies?

    What kind?

    Inquiring minds (in sombreros) want to know.

    ;-)

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  2. Ha! That'll learn ya for volunteering. ;)

    I've also gotten my fair share of projects "volunteered" on me by the fact that I was in attendance... and when I wasn't even in attendance. Can't win for losing.

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  4. Oh oh!!Thats the price you pay for speaking first.
    Have a happy fund-raiser ...grin!

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  5. Oh! Good luck! Gotta love those dynamics in a committee of any kind - not just church ones.I'm sure you'll do a great job.xx

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  6. "Never, in a group meeting, express enthusiasm for any idea that the group should do unless you are prepared to be the chair of said event."

    Took me a looooooong time to learn that lesson. I'm a much happier man now that I have!

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  7. By the way, I think you'd find a fellow blogger quite entertaining, both of you being in education. His name is Chris Mauger. This is his latest piece, about a past experience as a sub for emotionally-challenged kindergarteners.

    http://cdmauger.blogspot.com/2009/04/lo-siento-senor-poopie-pants.html

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  8. I'm sure it'll be wonderful! Sounds like it's all come together. Maybe I'll make Saturday "taco night" here, and we'll do the Mexican hat dance, dedicated to you!

    Have a great time!

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  9. It's about time you unmasked yourself! I've been wondering why you were so well written and had no blog to show for it!
    I've been tagged to head committees before and have both succeeded and failed spectacularly. Never at a Mexican fiesta though.
    I also love the excuses that flood in when people need to talk themselves out of something. Classic stuff.

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  10. Sully, thanks for the shout out! And I'm always happy to find a teacher blog. Nice work here, Mrs. C....and any endeavor that involves food is bound to have at least some degree of success.

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