| SATURDAY |
Susan (pictured at left): Off to the airport for my long airplane ride to the east coast. The plan was to meet Sonya, Stephanie, and Lynn at the airport since we were sharing a car, and then drive to the hotel, Walmart and meet up with the other members for dinner. As I land, I turn on my phone to a flurry of text messages left by Patricia. "Sonya's going to be 2 hours late" WHAT!! I'm thinking. I was only supposed to wait an hour at the airport for them. Another message comes in, "Lynn's in Detroit." ? Why is Lynn stuck in Detroit? It turns out, that winter storm/Ice storm has affected everyone...and lynn was re-routed from Memphis to Detroit. Yes, we know, they aren't anywhere near each other, or even closer to North Carolina. I talk to Sonya who's on the runway in Dallas and find me a nice spot in the airport baggage claim with my laptop and dvd's to hang out for 2 hours.
Patricia: As we neared our destination we get a text from Sonya that she will be late...SHOCKING!!! Well, this time it was not her fault so I got on the phone to start texting everyone what was going on. Meanwhile, Laura was still winging the direction while driving her...oh did I mention BLUE 2007 SILVERADO TRUCK....as we kept getting closer to Charlotte, we "discussed" getting off at Kannapolis to get to Mooresville. Amanda: I called Tricia and Laura to see how they were doing on their road trip. As per usual, they were in Kannapolis. (Yes, it's a recurring theme throughout the trip!) Patricia: Of course the Santa Parade had to be going on by the Cannon Mills at this time which made for a lovely traffic situation. Along we went on Highway 3 past DEI...don't worry we were good...no hand gestures…till we hit Highway 150 and then our hotel. |
Amanda: I arrived in Mooresville about 6pm and took the opportunity to unpack prior to the other elves arrival. When asked, the front desk laughed and said, "I think some of them went shopping!" - That's also another recurring theme throughout each yearly trip. I saw Rita at the desk and enjoyed chatting with her for a few minutes.
Patricia: We checked in and I went to see my roommate and friend, Lisa (pictured at right). Amanda came by and we all chatted for a while. Laura was catching up with her roomie Rita who she scared coming out of the shower!
Amanda: The group went to dinner around 8pm. With delayed flights it was time to reserve a table...except...the first restaurant shut down in October!
Quick thinking and some text messages later and a NO Applebees warning (I figured it out Saturday). We ended up at Texas Steakhouse.
It was great to see everyone again. I met Jules's friend, April (pictured at left), for the first time. They were also very excited to be back in North Carolina. I have to say I enjoy meeting new people each year we have the event.
Susan, Lynn, Sonya, and Stephanie all arrived shortly after and got carded for their drinks (much to Sonya's delight.) Everyone began catching up and hearing everyone's arrival stories.
Dinner went well and we headed back to the hotel. Some visited Walmart to pick up a few supplies before calling it a night. West Coast girls stayed up and this east coaster wimp (me) went to bed early LOL.
Susan: After dinner, we run through walmart to pick up last minute stocking stuffers and then it's off to bed....sort of. For us West Coasters....we didn't sleep for a while, being 3 hours behind.
| SUNDAY | ||||
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Amanda: The first trip of the day was to visit the Horse Protection Society in China Grove. Patricia likes to point out that I was queen of U-turns during the trip and that all roads lead to Kannapolis. Well, I am here to say, yes, it's true. Patricia: Anyway after a short detour, pit stop, failed attempt at grabbing a BUDWEISER DALE JR sign, several U-turns...we arrive at the HPS. Amanda: We learned some interesting facts though! There is a Miller Rd. and Miller St. Also, if you drive around long enough you do a big circle and tour the countryside which was very pretty. We had good bonding moments while Susan tried to find the fork in the road, then the brick sign, then the turn...it sounded easy on the paper!
Susan: An informative tour and some flirty horses and before we knew it, we had to leave for our "surprise". We didn't want to leave the horses and the staff and with all that we learned there, we couldn't wait to plan for ways to fund raise for them...or maybe even barn raise... Amanda: Susan and I had fun asking Tricia questions about the afternoon surprise. The only hint we received was that in the form of a light snack prior to 2pm. After a trip to Wendy's we arrived back at the hotel and rested for a few minutes before it was time to begin.
Susan: We get into our teams and before you know it the word GO was sounded. My team, was Lisa and Stephanie. And you could tell that we were immediately taking the "slow and steady wins the race approach". We get into the parking lot and open our clue. Head to the Scrap Shack to make a holiday page with photos provided from last years elves event. GREAT...no one on our team scrap books.....nifty.....but we devise our plan and before you know it, we've finished our page first!! Last one in the store, first one out.
Amanda: First came Jules (pictured at right), she gets so excited and has such fun during these adventures it makes me smile! They found their angel and they were off! Wait....it's another team? Yep, here comes Kelly (pictured below right) to find an angel...she's off!
Susan: We run up the "hill" to the Dale Sr statue, while two guys in a truck laugh at the havoc. Mind you, it's Sunday, December and we're the only people booking it through town. It was pretty funny. Tasks finished and we jump back in the car with our next clue in hand and head to Birkdale. A few more wrong turns, curses to mapquest again, and we're on our way to Birkdale, with Jules' team on our heels. We arrive for our mandatory coffee, per our clue, and a picture with the tree. Patricia: Stop 4 was where Amanda and I was to be next however we got held back by Laura's team crossing the state line to purchase a pair of shoes and Amanda's need to practice her U-turns. That stop was the Super Target in Mooresville. They purchased a festive hat for each member, took a photo of the group wearing it and then developed the photos of the day. Susan: Off to Target for all of our pictures that we've taken to be printed and another with a santa hat. Small problem.....Target only has North Carolina Tarheel santa hats...and they're $15!!! So...a sneaky picture in the aisle, in our Carolina blue hats and we get the final clue. Off to Applebee's to toast Jr Elves and we've finished. And with another team so close behind...we made it in time for first place!!! Patricia: Stop 5 was Applebees where they went to the bar and purchased a drink and saluted the PBC. Afterwards we all had dinner there and swapped "war" stories and prizes were awarded.
Amanda: I didn't get to tell her at the event but Jules did a beautiful job with the ornaments. They were so pretty! I still haven't figured out how they were done but they were gorgeous. Thank you Jules for all your hard work and to making this Christmas great for the moms and with the ornaments!
Susan: We chat a bunch and soon we're yawning and head up to our rooms. Of course us West Coasters...still not adjusted, end up chatting again to the wee hours of the morning.
Amanda: Monday morning was dedicated to visiting Hendricks - thank you to April and Jules for leading the way and not getting lost like me! We took time to enjoy the race shop and the museum. It was so neat to see all of the different cars and special paint schemes.
Lynn: Finally the day we had all been waiting for! Pizza had arrived, stockings were stuffed, and Santa was on his way. The children arrived in their limo… they were very excited it was a Hummer! When the children first arrive they are always excited but a little unsure of what is going on. It is so special to see them warm up and start to bond with the volunteers. After lots of pizza and mtn. dew had been consumed the kids told Santa their Christmas Wishes and dug into their stockings. Sonya: I will be the first to admit, I took a few steps back more then once to just watch. To watch the amazing friendships that have been made in the past few years and simply grow stronger every day. I watched these children have an experience that they would absolutely never forget, especially those children over the age of 12. To think that there are people in this world who have no problem setting everything in their life aside to make a child smile.
Patricia: They were served pizza and soda and then a loud boisterous HO HO HO was heard. The kids turned to see Santa Claus enter the building. The excitement on their faces was a sight to behold. Santa took time to listen to each child explain what they wanted for Christmas. After talking to Santa each child was given a stocking stuffed with goodies. Now it was the grownups turn...Laura, Sonya, Jules and myself took turns sitting on Santa's lap. Well, not to be undone, the guys from JRM cut in on the act as well with help from some of the kids. Meanwhile I surveyed the room to see grownups playing Old Maid and doing yo-yo tricks with the kids. Killer, the dog, was patrolling the area making sure everyone was having a good time. Amanda: The smiles on the children's faces will always stay in my memory. Their happiness and excitement is enough for me at Christmas more than any gift I could be given. Sonya: Prior to the children arriving, I had expressed to everyone to take the time during the pizza party to get to know the children. Find a child you may want to shop with, use this as a bonding time. Once we arrived at Target, immediately I had adults saying things like "Ok [insert child's name] is MINE" or "I'm shopping with...". Those bonds were forming. As everyone headed out to shop, I reminded them, here is your gift card, if you spend more then the amount, let me know and I will reimburse you. Off they went!
Patricia: OK, time to go shopping. Santa headed back to the North Pole and the rest of us headed off to Target. The kids were chauffeured there in their limo. Lisa and I paired up with 9 year old McKenna. She was a trip. She got her Mom a beautiful pair of gold hoop earrings and a pair of jeans. She got herself some pants, a top, a doll set, doll accessories, a purse, a wallet and a headband. Afterwards she hugged Lisa and I and said thanks! I thought to myself that it should be I thanking her for allowing me to experience the true meaning of Christmas. Amanda: I paired off with Cam and CJ, a 7 year old. He was absolutely precious. His first stop was at the jewelry counter where he found a silver and diamond necklace for his mom. He was VERY proud of it and showed it to everyone he met. The rest of his gift card was destined for Transformers and other toys. He loved Lynn: Let the shopping begin!!!! The children were so sweet. They start out by buying their mom a gift. Moms received a variety of gifts from a vacuum cleaner and blenders to necklaces and earrings. It is very important to the kids to be able to give their mom's a gift. One sweet little boy wanted to purchase a Christmas Tree for his family, if that doesn't melt your heart I don't know what would. Sonya: I then just walked and visited. I wanted to make sure everyone was A) having a good time B) not uncomfortable in ANY way! and C) smiling. I watched a young man ever so proud who could not show enough of us the jewelery he picked out for his Mommy. I watched two teenage girls who walked into a pizza party shy and timid, smiling and searching thru the clothing section for all those new clothes they wanted! A young man who just wanted to buy his family a Christmas Tree. And siblings comparing notes at the end of the evening, wanting to make sure they had bought they Mom the perfect present. Finally......children and TONS of boxes are being put into the Limo but where is Chad?? Ugh there is always a lagger in the group! Back into Target I go........There they are in Electronics and Chad says "Put two men shopping in Target and we are SO out of our element". LOL LOL Their problem .....the salesmen rang up the purchase wrong, Chad had NO Problem shopping, don't let them fool you! Patricia: The kids gathered in the outer area of Target and most conversations were of what they got their Mom and not what they were able to get themselves. One lady stopped me and asked what was going on. She said to me..."God Bless You"...I said to her..."No, God Bless those Kids." Amanda: The kids got into the limo after all the bags were carefully packed and in some cases repacked.
Susan: It was another great event that always feels like it ends too quickly. I come back home to the feeling and thoughts of, "this is why we do it". The smiles on the kids faces, and the misty eyes of the first timers that get to experience the kids joys. A big thank you to EVERYONE that helped out, donated, contributed, planned, scheduled, and let us use their facilities. We couldn't do this without you all. See you there next year!!! (and hopefully there won't be an ice storm AND heat wave!) Lynn: It is hard to put into words this experience. It is so fun and so rewarding to see the children enjoy the night. There is no experience that compares to shopping with them and watching their joy and excitement. It is also very sad to realize how little these children have and how much we take for granted. It really puts Christmas in right light for me every year and this year was no different. Christmas is about love and giving and you know what it doesn't matter if our house is decorated just right or if we get everything on our to-do list done. What matters is that we spend time with those we love and give to those less fortunate. Sonya: Susan and Lynn covered most of the activities that went on this weekend and I can once again voice, Jr Elves was a HUGE SUCCESS and I would say the best year yet. We visited and embraced the lives of 21 young children. Many walked in shy and well, our volunteers were too. Many new volunteers this season and I don't feel one regretted their decision to join. Before long there was lessons in just how to use the Yo Yo in the stockings and a few mean cames of Go Fish on the other table. Most of these games lead by the male employees at JRM. I will tell you without a doubt I was very impressed with each of them.
Laura and I then headed out to Victory Junction Gang Camp. I can't express to you how much that camp impressed me. Surrounded by beautiful hardwood forests, Victory Junction Gang Camp is located in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. The Camp was built on 72 acres that were generously donated by Richard and Lynda Petty. Victory Junction Gang Camp has a racing theme with the sights, sounds, look and feel of a race track! The Camp is comprised of 44 buildings, including the Goody's Body Shop Medical Center, the Hendrick Motorsports Fuel Stop Dining Hall, the Silver Theater, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Water Park, Adam's Race Shop, the Michael Waltrip Operation Marathon Sportscenter, Jessie's Horse Power Garage and much more! Kurt Bush recently made a donation so that an indoor baseball field could be built. Pictures and descriptions do not do it justice. Once you see it for yourself and experience the wonder of it all…you walk away a different person. We stopped off at American Legion Racing on the way back to Mooresville and then there were ornaments that needed to be picked up at the UPS Store and dropped off at the Post Office. We finally went back to the hotel to get ready for the Stocks for Tots event that evening. We headed off the center where it was being held. We were a bit early for the VIP Cocktail Party so Laura and I sat outside and chatted for a while. At 5:30 we entered the building to speak to John Maloney to present the check donation from the PBC.
We got our name tags and Amy Eisele (pictured on left) the executive director of SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) came by for the check presentation. Laura and I had a chance to speak to Amy and also to Cotton Ketchie, a photographer and board member. Cotton invited us to his gallery across the street after the event. I was able to catch up with Mary Meredith from Penske Racing who was my contact for this event in 2006. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kelley and April from JRM. I went over with Laura so we would be able to thank them for everything that they did for the PBC the night before. We all had a very pleasant conversation. We were then instructed to move into the auditorium for the speeches and entertainment. Larry McReynolds was the host for the evening. There were singers and dancers. Don Miller spoke and in from of him was his 2007 Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Kelley Earnhardt Elledge was one of the guest speakers. During her speech she said..."And when fans of Dale Jr and charities such as the Pit Board Charity ask us what programs we support …SCAN is always at the top of the list"...when the PBC was mentioned she looked directly at Laura and I. We were beaming!! After the program was completed the audience was informed that they needed to get orange bracelets and enter the driver rooms. Well, the orange bracelets could not be found. Kelley and April from JRM signaled me and I grabbed Laura and we just followed them into the room. Eventually we were able to get bracelets...meanwhile I was able to take a photo of Laura with Kelley and her brother Kerry. Laura took a shot of me with Kelley. We got some driver autographs and spoke to Kurt Bush about the VJGC Baseball Field. Afterwards we went outside to get some photos of the new 88 Navy car. Laura proceeded to try to convince the driver of the hauler that she would take the car off his hands. She would place it in her front yard and put Christmas lights on it. He said well that would save him a trip back to the shop..lol! We walked a bit, took some photos, chatted with some people there and visited Cotton's art gallery. Afterwards we drove off to a local hot dog joint and had a dinner snack outdoors. When we got back to the hotel we packed and got ready to depart the next day. Words can't express properly what this experience has meant to me. Each year it is more special than the last. The friendships and memories that are made and reinforced are so valuable. The experience with the children is indescribable. It is the true miracle of Christmas when you see the wonderment in each child's face and how much this event affects them and the adults involved! Till next time...
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