Career as an event planner? I don't think so

Sometimes I wonder what I’d be doing if I hadn’t discovered journalism. I think my sister Kirsten thinks of me as her own personal travel agent. Every time she’s needed to fly home, I’ve been the one scouring the Internet for flight deals to find the cheapest way to bring her home. It’s a challenge and a game to be played with the airlines since the prices are constantly changing. I like to travel and explore new places so I think it would be fun to advise and arrange trips and vacations for travelers. It’s a hobby though, not something I want to make into a career. This past week at a meeting, Gary Leichtman jokingly told me I should have been a police officer. One of my college roommates became a sheriff’s deputy and really enjoys it. Maybe I should have looked into it a little.

I’ve had a few friends from college who at one time wanted to be event planners: conferences, weddings, etc. That’s one area that’s never appealed to me. Too many details to worry about, too many things that can go wrong and too many people involved. This past weekend I got a little taste of what that career would be like in planning Jacob’s third birthday party.

For the kid’s first and second birthdays we just had small family gatherings, usually just for cake, ice cream and a few gifts. After encouragement from a few others and attending a kiddie birthday party earlier this summer, I decided it would be fun to finally host one. Plus, it would give people who haven’t had an excuse to visit yet a chance to see our house.

Events tend to snowball, I think. It starts innocently enough: picking a date, a guest list, designing and mailing invitations, menu planning, etc. It doesn’t take too long to get somewhat out of control. Looking at the calendar, there were only two open weekends that would possibly work in July and August. I crossed off one because Nate’s mom would be on vacation in South Carolina. That left August 9. The first full week of the month tends to be my busiest week because I usually have both a city council and a village board meeting. Throw a referendum meeting in there and that eats up the first three days of the week.

Thursday morning I surveyed the house and wondered what I was thinking. The island was piled full of mail. The lawn was four days past when it should have been mowed. The fridge was piled full of uneaten leftovers. To top it all off, Jacob’s toys were littered about most of the house. I made a list of what needed to be done on what days to make this work by 2 p.m. on Satuday. Somehow, it all came together. Jacob even helped a little (I bribed him with fruit snacks to pick up his toys). My mother-in-law washed windows and my mom helped with the food. By 1 p.m. Saturday, most of it was pulled together and I was finally able to relax as the guests arrived.

Tuesday I visited the friends and family picnic at Continental Manor. As I talked to one of the employees, Becky, we were in awe of how well organized the event was despite having what looked like several hundred people to feed and entertain. I could barely handle 30 guests. No, event planning is not for me. I’ll stick with newspapers.

Jacob's birthday: Part I

**We also did a part for him Saturday. Here's the summary from Aug. 3-4. I'll get something up about this past weekend later.

What do you get a little boy who already has too much stuff for his third birthday? A trip to Lambeau Field of course. A few months back I received a press release announcing the Green Bay Packers Family Night at the stadium. It landed on Aug. 3, the day after Jacob’s birthday, so it seemed like perfect timing for a family getaway.

Last year I started something which I hope to make into a family tradition. Instead of buying Jacob more toys, we took him to a wildlife park near Minocqua as his birthday treat. He was going through an animal-loving phase at the time so he had a blast. This year Jacob’s tastes have moved a little more toward sports and things that go: big trucks, trains, airplanes, etc. dmittedly, he’s more into baseball and watching dad play softball right now, but I’m sure his taste in sports will morph with the seasons.

I had never been to Packers Family Night, but it got excellent reviews from those I talked to about it. First of all, it’s a bargain.Tickets for all seats are $8, parking at the stadium is $5 (or free on the street if you don’t mind the walk) and there’s a picnic lunch where everything from brats to watermelon to ice cream is just $1 each. My original plan was for us to spend an entire weekend, Saturday through Monday, in Green Bay. Due to Curtiss Days for me and second crop for Nate, we cut back to just one night. We left Sunday late morning and headed east. The hotel I booked was on the east side of Green Bay, so we took the scenic route and got a good view of the bay before checking in. Even though our hotel was a little out of the way from the main tourist attraction, I picked it for its pool area. The kiddie pool with giant froggy slide was the perfect place for Jacob. Dad caught a short nap while I attempted to burn some energy off Jacob.

We headed to Lambeau only to be greeted by dark clouds and spectacular flashes of lightning. We headed to a fast food restaurant for supper and shelter, hoping the event wouldn’t be cancelled. It stopped raining so we headed back to the field. Due to the lightning they still couldn’t allow spectators onto the bleachers. We visited the Hall of Fame while people huddled in all corners of the stadium concourse waiting for news. The storm did clear up in time, and it turned out to be a fantastic night. The fireworks at the end, shot off to music from all around the top of the field, were worth the entire trip.

The next day was more swimming, then a visit to the National Railroad Museum. Jacob was in awe the entire time, from his first sight of the giant locomotive, Big Boy, to the ride around the grounds. We could barely peel him away from the glass case of the model trains and the life-size ones left him speechless. We came back Monday afternoon in time to make it to the city council meeting. I shoved two days worth of work into Tuesday, but the trip was worth it. Anyone on a dairy farm knows family vacations are a rarity, but a little getaway can be enough. Now I have to figure out what to do for next year. Judging by Jacob’s excitement over Grandma Bubble’s birthday gift of a “fishing hat,” next year’s trip might have to be to the lake.

Construction blues (7/30 column)

Ka-bang! That was the sound that jolted me awake Monday morning at about quarter after six.
Maybe it was just a car back-firing. We do hear that kind of stuff living on a state highway.
Ka-bang! There it was again. That was no car. It sounded more like a gun shot.
Ka-bang! I looked over at Nate and Jacob, who had crawled into bed with us sometime around 5 a.m. Neither of them had moved from their mouths-wide-open sleeping positions. It would take a nuclear blast to wake those guys up.
After a few more blasts I heard the buzz of a saw and the low mumbles of men’s voices coming from the other side of the driveway. It wasn’t terrorists. It was construction workers.
Our milking parlor project first got underway in late May, but lately it’s stepped into high gear. After a several week delay waiting for the concrete crew to work their way back to our site, the blue Melvin Companies trucks rolled back in and we were in business.
Last week the first lumber hit the site as the walls of the building started going up. Roof joists were placed Friday and Monday, windows have been framed out and the first plastic layer hit the walls Tuesday.
Monday night Jacob and I took a self-guided tour of the progress. When just the concrete was down, I had worried it wouldn’t be big enough. Now with the building taking shape, it’s turning out to be a lot larger than I thought.
Originally we had hoped it would be completed by Aug. 1. With the cool spring and delay in concrete, we’re now shooting for around Sept. 1.
I’m starting to wonder how the cows are going to react. According to people who have put in parlors, we’re going to hate it for the first couple weeks as we try to acclimate the cows to their new settings. Anyone who works around cows know they are creatures of routine. Anything out of place confuses them, whether it’s a strange person in the barn or a slight change in their diet.
Once we get over that hump, I think it’s going to be a great addition to the farm.
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This past weekend we traveled down to my parents’ farm for my sister’s graduation party. My Air Force sister also came up from the St. Louis area to visit, but I think what she really wanted to do was pick up her new car.
Kirsten has been without a car since she left for basic training a year ago the end of August. Now that she’s done with technical school and at a more permanent base, she decided it was time to buy.
My mom did the shopping and found her a 2006 Chevy Impala at a reasonable price. Nate and I took Kirsten Saturday morning to sign the papers and pick up her shiny new black car.
I have to admit I am jealous because I was thinking about buying an Impala myself once my own car bites the dust.
Monday afternoon when I went to leave for work, my car chimed: “Service Engine Soon” displayed in amber on the dash. Time to step up the shopping.
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My dad’s birthday is today, but bad daughter as I sometimes am, I forgot to send a card.
So, instead of a $3 card you get this message printed almost 3,000 times for everyone to read: Happy Birthday Dad!