Home safe and sound from Reunion

We are all home safe and sound from the reunion.  Now my dad did not go and he isn’t home so he is either in Burton or at the races.  We left around 5:30, my head was just banging along with the “live band” they got this year.  That was interesting.  They had auction and auction off prizes and it was fun bidding against my daughter, of course being the mom that I am I just did it to raise her and she ended up spending more money than me!!  Evil I know!  They gave away some stuff but the money is for the Reunion.  Now I use to “host” or run the reunion and worked alone doing so, I had no help from hubby (mind you this is his family’s reunion).  Now I started out “helping” then all of sudden it was thrown in my lap one year I showed up with food in hand and it was Oh by the way your running it today,  so I did this for a total of 5 years.  Three alone!

So they had a picnic basket full of items they raffled off.  Guess what was inside this basket?  Candles that I gave away as prizes a few years ago.  How do I know this?  First off I only use and buy my candles off Lara of The Sage Grove.  Now at the time I first bought off her, she had a different name at that time, Old Sewn Treasures.  They were Blueberry Cheesecake (still smelled good by the way).  I guess someone who won a prize wasn’t a candle fan?  My hubby could not believe it.   As I said I only buy off Lara so I know!

Every year that I ran the reunion on my own and planned prizes and games I always gave away candles and melts.  Everyone would say wow those are great and looked forward to it.   I kept receipts of what I spent and would do a 50/50 drawing to try and get back some of what hubby and I spent that was not in the reunion fund to reimburse us.  So last year was my last year.  I spent the entire year getting ready, getting the prizes, made a gift basket and I designed and ordered magnets for 2006 and 2007 so they had a keepsake from the reunion with a cute little family related saying.  Not to mention the decorations, supplies and I always put a snack out like peanuts or something in a bowl on each table.  I put a lot of work into it.  So last year when we did the 50/50 drawing, the $30 that was suppose to go to us to be reimbursed, his Aunt made it an appoint to take the money from me until I “proved” myself.  Excuse me? Receipts?  Which I kept just forgot to bring with us, but that really hurt my feelings, she knew it.  As if I was trying to steal or something.  I was highly hurt and offended.  I was quiet the rest of the day and stepped down saying I needed a break for another part of the family to run it this year.  I kept to myself how I felt.  But she knew and was crying and hubby’s mom called me last year wanting me to call his aunt and say it was OK she didn’t hurt my feelings and I am sorry but I refused.  She did and if she felt bad well then good, I am sorry to say.  It was not her integrity that was questioned, after all I did for them.  One year I tried to get them to make a cookbook.  All I asked if they mailed recipes to me by a certain date, I put it together and have a keepsake family cookbook, and a copy for everyone.  I had three people send them.  That was it.  I was just frustrated I could not get them to just be involved somehow.

So this year it was his Aunt’s daughters who did the reunion.  It was a western theme.  They mailed flyer’s, postcards out to remind and ask for RSVP.  Decorations were cute, even a dinner bell they were ringing.  Lots of prizes, a gift basket raffle and a LIVE band.  Hubby found out it cost $250.00 for that band and they were hoping they raised enough money to pay the band.  Did anyone ask them for receipts, for proof of what they spent and did?  NO!  I think the band was over kill and a waste of reunion funds.  It wasn’t as personal as you barely had time to visit because everything was time for that or that.  There are many we didn’t get the chance to visit.

Don’t get me wrong, but I know we alone donated $30, my daugther and her boyfriend bid on stuff and spent about the same so there was $60.00 just from us, what about what everyone else did?  I always had to announce like with the 50/50 drawing say it was $60.00 so 1/2 went to winner.  But I had to be accountable and everyone was to know then and there.  Today nothing was said about how much was raised.  Not one word.  So why did I have to be accountable for every nook and cranny???

All I can say is NEVER again will ever volunteer and help.  And that isn’t even the half of it!!