LisaKinVA Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 So...pretty much my life right now revolves around fundraising. As glamorous as that isn't. My boys are in scouts, and we signed them up for summer camp. Then we got the news that transportation was going to be roughly $400 a person :scared: Apparently, the fundraising chair moved away about a year ago, and no one has been in charge of troop fundraising since. The troop account is pretty much bare. So, not having an extra $800 lying around, I jumped in with both feet, and am now frantically trying to raise $7,000 in 6 weeks with a very small pool of people from which to raise money. Practically, it means I've turned into an off-site caterer. There are other options (car wash, bagging at the commissary/NEX, sales of something we don't have, hosting special events), but the one that we have the best access to is making/serving breakfast and lunch at the Navy base in Capo. I will be organizing (cough...I mean prepping, cooking, transporting and serving...cough) 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches...2 breakfasts and 1 lunch have already been completed, I have 1 breakfast and 2 lunches left. In addition to two more fundraisers at the Support Site (bagging). We've raised $4,000 so far. Here is our meal service plan: Breakfast #1 -- Breakfast Burritos & Water, Smoothie Bar (in this case, we made 400 breakfast burritos...) Lunch #1 -- Pulled Pork w/chips and choice of drink, Frozen strawberry Lemonade, Frozen Cappuccino, a frozen Watermelon/berry/lime drink Breakfast #2 -- Egg McMuffins, Sausage McMuffins w/egg, Egg & Cheese McMuffins, fresh fruit salad with a honey-vanilla yogurt topping, and water (I baked all of the eggs in my whoopie pie pan, shaped and cooked the sausage patties, toasted/buttered the muffins, and wrapped everything individually, chopped all of the fruit, made the yogurt), and the Smoothie Bar Lunch #2 -- Pulled Pork again...this time I'll make enough. Breakfast #3 -- Biscuit Sandwiches (Bacon, Egg, Cheese, Sausage & Egg, Egg & Cheese), with fresh fruit salad topped with the yogurt & water (still have my smoothie bar going). This time, the eggs will be scrambled and baked in my --soon-to-be FOUR Whoopie Pie pans :D -- we'll cook all of the bacon, shape and cook the sausage, and yup, I'm making the biscuits from scratch. I'm PRAYING three other ladies step up and make the fruit salad... Lunch #3 -- Fried Chicken (doing it in a turkey roaster), with a Black Bean Salad and watermelon chunks (and yes, frozen drinks again). After that, I get a break...for a few weeks, and then we roll into our regular monthly fundraising schedule, because I don't want to be in this position next year. So...my life right now is anything but internationally exciting! Beyond that, we have our house party on Saturday (in the middle of all of the fundraising), we have a command picnic next Wednesday in a caldera, Blondie turns 8, and we're still schooling. I haven't gotten to see nearly as much as I had planned, my husband is getting ready to be gone again for weeks at a time, so we are just marking time. BUT, I have several trips on the calendar already, and I'm working with some friends who have "been around" to come up with some more (castle tours, Pompeii, Rome). While my life still feels very much "American" -- I am getting much better at Italian. I'm starting to be much more comfortable driving in and around Naples in the mini-van, although I did scrape the side making a turn last week (poor car). Seeing Vesuvius every day doesn't get old. Shopping in town and making "new-to-me" discoveries, doesn't get old. Driving by castles and breathtaking sea-views doesn't get old. But, we said goodbye to new friends...and it seems most of my favorite people keep leaving. I know new people will be arriving (roughly 1/3 of the people stationed here leave every year). One really cannot waste time making friends and getting involved. You really have to dive in. Of course, it is really hard to believe we've been here 9 months already. In many ways I feel like we just got off the plane! I suppose in a few years, I won't believe it's time to start packing up to return state-side. Well...I need to get back to kids' school, and party and fundraising preparations...but, OH! We get our US phone back next week :D I can call my mom! I can't wait. Such good news :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Thanks for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 :grouphug: Lisa :grouphug: I'm exhausted just reading that! Kudos to you for jumping in where angels fear to tread:) Looks like you are adjusting well, love hearing about life in Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I don't think those things would get old to me either. Although, I'm not sure I would be comfortable driving outside my own community. I'm just not a confident driver. Your menus sound delicious! Do you have a lot of help or do the meals cause lots of stress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Sounds like it's going well. Have to ask, is the "sandwich man" still there? Good luck with the rest of the fund raising and go take a tour with Aldo. (He's still there too, isn't he?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 You've raised $4000 with three meals- now THAT is impressive!!! Those views would never get old to me, but I would have a hard time making friends just to have them leave. Being introverted is often a curse. Do you cook meals for your family on days you're doing the fundraising meals? Mine would be eating breakfast sandwiches all three meals on the day I had to make those. I also can't believe it's been 9 months already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It's funny how expat life often is just the same as what it was at home, especially with kids. Most days you just have to ge things done. But the castles make it nice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It goes by fast doesn't it? We originally signed to come to Malaysia for 2 years and now it's been 5 years. In the blink of an eye! I know what you mean with people leaving. They come in and out of our lives so quickly here. Like a revolving door of friendships. Sometimes I catch myself not getting to know many people because I know they will leave soon. I have to make a concentrated effort to make new friends. But it's worth it so keep diving in!!! An interesting note on raising TCKs: my ds was reading up on this since he will be going off to college in two years and most of the literature out there talks about how TCKs don't feel "at home" anywhere. My ds said "That's not true. Because of this experience, I feel at home everywhere!" :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 I don't think those things would get old to me either. Although, I'm not sure I would be comfortable driving outside my own community. I'm just not a confident driver. Your menus sound delicious! Do you have a lot of help or do the meals cause lots of stress? So far, not as much help as I'd like prepping it. It pretty much falls to our family. At first, I wasn't very comfortable driving, but throw a GPS (Garmin) in my van, and half a year driving around, and I'm much, much better! The two days before are pretty hectic, but we're getting mostly in the swing of things...of course, my living room has been overtaken by a small chest freezer and all the stuff we need to take (just can't deal with collecting it all every week, so it's in neat piles by the door). Sounds like it's going well. Have to ask, is the "sandwich man" still there? Good luck with the rest of the fund raising and go take a tour with Aldo. (He's still there too, isn't he?) I don't know about "the sandwich man" -- I can tell you that they re-did the Capo Food Court a 2-3 years ago (the food service...is really bad...blech). Aldo is here -- and yes, we'll be taking tours with Aldo :D You've raised $4000 with three meals- now THAT is impressive!!! Those views would never get old to me, but I would have a hard time making friends just to have them leave. Being introverted is often a curse. Do you cook meals for your family on days you're doing the fundraising meals? Mine would be eating breakfast sandwiches all three meals on the day I had to make those. I also can't believe it's been 9 months already. I'm introverted, too... it can get a bit depressing. But, I go hide in my room, eat some ice cream, chat on-line with some older friends and feel better. I can't allow myself to wallow, or it really impacts the rest of the family. No, on days we do meals, I do NOT cook. DD actually made dinner last night (stuffed shells). We took home some of the leftover sandwiches, so kids had those today. Kids will be eating leftovers until they are gone (not enough room in my fridge to keep cooking until we eat up the other stuff). Hopefully my dh will remember to call about getting a 2nd fridge from housing...I could really use it (even more so with the fundraising stuff). Yes, $4,000 net in three weeks is a nice amount :D Hopefully, we're making enough good impressions with people on-base that they will look forward to (and plan for) the scouts showing up to serve breakfast and lunch! When we made the pulled pork, people kept coming up saying, "I could smell it all the way down by my office...it smells amazing!" -- people have also been impressed with the smoothies and frozen cappuccinos. I try to have everything ready to go, so as little measuring as possible. I'm leaving in a bit to go start the process for fundraisers for the remainder of August and September (the paper-work approvals process is a royal pain, so I try to do a bunch at a time). We now have access to a generator, which is going to really help for outdoor events. My little chest freezer may go with us in the future as well (so we can sell things like cobbler, apple pie, etc. with ice cream...I'm thinking ahead to "Spooktacular" -- and things that will set our group apart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 You'd know the sandwich guy. He used to be in Pinetamare, but then relocated when the support site opened. Amazing sandwiches! Last I heard, I thought someone said he'd retired. Aldo is also amazing. He's a walking encyclopedia and no two tours are the same. Enjoy your time there and get out to see things--Naples can be really depressing otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Lisa--awesome job on the fundraising! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I love your updates. Your perseverance and positive attitude are an inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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