Numbers

I was browsing Reddit the other day and found a link to this article, from Wait but Why.  It talked about how long you have left to live (average person) vs. what you can do in that time based on what you do on average.

Say that the average death year is 80 years old (I'm too lazy to google the actual number) and you are 35 right now.  How many times do you have to do your favorite things?

This can be sort of a morbid way to look at things or it can motivate you to DO MORE with your life.  We aren't guaranteed to make it to 80, so this list can be even shorter!  What if I'm 40 or 50 or 60 or somewhere in between when I go?  This list would be cut drastically.

For example, my favorite place in the entire world is Garner State Park.  I love the trees, the river, the hills, everything.  I go on average about every other year.  So, in theory I only have 22.5 more times to go.  And that is only if I live until that long or don't more too far away to drive up there all the time.

I do an average of 12 bucket list items a year.  (Sometimes more, but I shoot for at least 12)  That means I only have time to do 540 more if I do an average of 12 a year.  So, I can either pick 540 to do or get busy and do MORE!!!  I'm going to choose to get busy.  I have one this weekend and I did one on Monday!  If for some reason I can't hike the Grand Canyon or Machu Picchu one day, I need to prioritize to do that when my knees don't hurt.  Or if it is to go to a certain event or meet a certain celebrity, I need to make sure I do that early on because it could be an instance like meeting Richard Simmons.  I am so glad I did that before he closed his studio and retired.

My goal is to travel to one new city and one new country each year.  I didn't go to a new country this year, but I did go to a few new cities, including Washington DC. So, if I continue this way I can only see 45 more of each OR try and double up on my trips.  So, out of all the cities in the USA and all the countries in the World, I only get to go to 45 more.  My personal rule is that if I'm paying for it, I am only going to new places.  My family goes to Honduras a lot, but I have been there so many times.  Don't get me wrong, it's paradise and I love it, but if I have limited time and money, it makes more sense for me to go to new places.

There is a spot in Nacogdoches that as soon as I get there, my body feels "home".  Literally every time I pass it my heart says "I'm home".  It is such a great feeling.  I don't get to Nac as often as I used to now that I don't know too many people there.  I still go back often for Driving Jacks events, but not for SFA events.  I need to make that more of a priority. So if I go back once every other year (not including Driving Jacks events), I have 22.5 more times to be "home". Dude, I got tears when I saw that number.

I read about a book a year, but I honestly want to change that.  Maybe one of my 2017 resolutions will read 1 book a year, but I will be conservative and say 6 books a year (one every other month).  That is 270 books that I can read.  Since I love books (even though I haven't read as many as I could) I need to make a list of the top books I want to read instead of just reading some to read some.

You know, sometimes God grants you things in your heart, sometimes he gives you even more blessings than you can imagine.  I always thought I would be a mom, but now I have decided to stop focusing on the things I can't change and become the World's Best Aunt.  Yep, I am going to spend the rest of my life striving for that trophy because I am a pretty cool aunt. :)  I may or may not be a mom one day, but I have honestly stopped desiring to be one.  If it happens, it happens but I know that I'm running short on time.  So I have 45 more years to get that trophy.  I am going to spend time on the floor playing dolls, hang out in the woods and watch my nephew play in the mud, and be with my nephew while he plays video games (still can't play because I get motion sick).  I want to do things that they want to do, even if I don't feel like it because I won't always be able to do that.

My dad-Keith, sister-Tori, nephew-Cole, niece-Kali.  My other nephew, Hunter, is not pictured. This picture is from their school's fall festival day.

There have been 9 US Presidential elections since I have been on this planet and I only have 10 left.  10 more times to vote for the future of this Nation!  (My math could be wrong on this, FYI. LOL).

WHAT ABOUT YOU?!  WHAT ARE SOME THINGS ON YOUR LIST THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DO??

Driving Jacks 10th Anniversary

10 years ago, at 10 PM on January 25th, a group of SFASU students were anxiously awaiting a phone call.  Everything was set up and ready to go, a phone number, member shirts, a Dodge Magnum, fliers, a birthday cake, balloons and even a few people who had been waiting on this day for years.

Driving Jacks first night of operations were a go and all we  needed was a phone call.  We knew there was a need for Driving Jacks at SFASU (any college campus really) but we were still nervous that no one would call.  We set up a "just in case" person to call in but we never had to utilize that person because we got our first call not long after we "opened".  Apparently someone had been itching to be the first rider of Driving Jacks and went down in history.

I still can't believe it had been 10 YEARS!  That is so crazy to me.  I think it's more crazy that I have been out of school for 10 years more than DJ has been operating that long-I always knew it would be great once it started.

The Road Trip with Kali Claire

My parents needed someone to watch Kali while they were going out of town but I had plans all day.  In the AM I had to volunteer for my Rodeo committee, Special Children's and in the evening I was planning on driving to Nacogdoches for the 10th anniversary party.  I said, "I can watch her if she can go to Nacogdoches with me" thinking they would say no, but nope, they said yes!  

Every time I have gone on a 'trip' Kali asks me if she can come too.  I always feel so bad saying no to that little face!  She was so excited to go on a trip and stay in a hotel. My mom even bought her a new little suitcase to bring with her.

We left the house about 2 pm and only made a few stops (chicken nuggets-Kali, Starbucks-me, restroom-both of us) and made it to Nac around 5 pm.  We checked into our hotel room that I had reserved by the phone.  Let me tell you, I will  NEVER stay at Days Inn in Nacogdoches again (see below for story).

Hector got to Nac shortly after we did and we headed to the park with Kali while waiting for Clarissa and Josh to get there.  We also had to pick up the cake at Brookshire Brothers before dinner.

This child loves balance beams.  Remember the railroad tracks from the Polar Express, same thing-she loved this!

Speaking of the cake.  Do you notice anything different here?  The bakery did a great job but ummm...it's supposed to be 10 years, not 90.  Same difference, right?  Haha.  They did do an amazing job on the logo though!!

We made it to the party and it was super fun.  The news was there to do a story on the 10th anniversary and interviewed me.  I will not be posting it on my blog, but you can google it if you want on the Lufkin/Nac news channel.  I look awful and said "amazing" too many times.  Ugh, I always say stupid things in interviews!  I told my sister that if someone makes me into a meme for saying 'amazing' a million times, I will cry!  I tried to get Hector or someone else to take my place, but no one else did and they wanted to interview me since I was the President on the first night.

Kali Claire and Connor helping blow out the candles.

After the event we all went walking around the campus.  Kali decided that she wants to be Lumberjack and posed with Surfin' Steve. #axeemJacks

So, one quick story about Days Inn in Nacogdoches.  DO NOT book a room there.  There were bugs and the place was was not kept up.  That's not my biggest issue (though that is a huge issue).

At 2:30 am we were woken up by people shouting outside our window.  They were in a fight about something and I heard them say something about a gun.  I called 9-1-1 because I wasn't sure if it was a robbery or what was happening.  Someone kept saying "let me in" and "give me the money".  I wanted to leave right then but if it was a robbery and I opened the door to leave, he could have gotten me and Kali too.  I can't just drive away quickly without putting her in her car seat, plus she was sleeping and wouldn't be too much help getting away.  So we just stayed put and I was praying that we wouldn't get shot.

The Nacogdoches Police Department responded very quickly and diffused the situation.  I didn't hear what happened but in my brief glimpses outside I believe I saw someone being taken to jail.  There was a taxi cab outside and my best guess as to what happened was someone didn't pay their taxi bill and the driver was upset and trying to collect his money.  I don't know (I didn't want to go outside and ask just in case the friend of the guy that went to jail wanted to get revenge).

Anyway, the next morning we met back up with my friends at a local restaurant for breakfast/lunch before heading out.

The Texas Madness Massacre

Yesterday SFASU Men’s Basketball competed in the NCAA tournament against Utah.  Like last year, the alumni of SFA had watch parties all over Texas (and even one in Virginia) so that we could all watch the game together.  I deleted my FB profile a while ago and I had not seen the men’s basketball updates like I usually did through my newsfeed. After a quick google search that said they had made it into the tournament, I called the Alumni Association office to see if they were hosting watch parties like they had last year.  They were having them in several Houston areas locations and asked if I could host one at Lucky’s Pub.  I wouldn’t have to do anything except put out some SFA Alumni materials that they shipped to me.

I made it to the game (and got a GREAT parking spot) at around 6 pm.  The kickoff was originally supposed to be around 6:30, but it got moved back to just after 7 pm.  I put out the free koozies, pens, pins, and hyper-color cups for everyone to take.  I think we had about 300 people there. 

I met up with some Driving Jacks members and we all sat together.  I looked up and I saw Hector coming over to where we were sitting.  I didn’t even know he was in town (he’s been in California for work the past 1.5 months)!  We all sat together and watched the game.  

Some of us really got into it……LOL. 

That's not my hand in the way. haha.

The game was fun to watch, but the end was sad.  SFA lost to Utah 50-57.  They played a good game and I am happy that they made it far!  They had a wonderful season and played their best. 

As for Texas…all five teams that made it to the tournament were kicked out last night. Baylor, SMU, Texas, Texas Southern and Stephen F. Austin logged a combined 0-5 record.   Whomp, whomp, whomp.  It was like the Texas MadnessMassacre (I saw that on an article comment and though it was funny, hence the name of this post).  Two of the teams were favored to advance, but they were beaten too (Baylor and SMU).

Now I will go back to not caring about basketball.  Or Football.  Or baseball.  Well, baseball will be on my mind when this little guy starts playing.  He joined a “K-Ball” team and has started practicing.  His first game was supposed to be Saturday, but it got cancelled due to rain.  K-Ball is a precursor to T-Ball, which is a precursor to baseball. 

My very cute nephew, Cole

Clarissa's 30th Birthday

One of my best friends, Clarissa, lives in Dallas and was turning 30 a few weeks ago.  Dallas is about 4 1/2 hours away from where I live and it is really far!  Clarissa had asked if I wanted to come up there and party for her 30th birthday, but I couldn't go.  I had actually made plans to go to a fish fry (what? who am I?) and didn't really want to make the long drive.  I was sad, but I send her some cookies to make up for it! Don't worry, I bought them, I didn't make them.

Yummy chocolate covered Oreo's!

Hector had called to see if I was going and I told him that I wasn't because I didn't want to drive that far and put that many miles on my car.  He said he would drive if I went with him and we could surprise her.  I thought it would be fun to surprise her, so I said yes!  I had to hurry and get dressed and packed before we left.  I don't know why I bother to be anywhere on time when it comes to Hector though, because he is NEVER on time.  EVER.  He picked me up over an hour late.  SMH.


Anyway, we were on the road and talking about stuff.   He was annoying and I wanted to strangle him by the time we made it to Dallas (in just 4 short hours).  I love Hector, he is one of my best friends, but man a 4 hour road trip with him is taxing. LOL.

We made it to Dallas and found a parking spot.  There was some sort of military ball that day and people were dressed up in evening attire. I was so jealous of their outfits!!  I need to find me a military man so I can recreate prom. :)

Leddy, Clarissa, Me and Laura. Could my hair BE any taller?!

We walked into The Library Bar and found them at a table.  Clarissa was so surprised and excited that we were there.  I am so glad that I was able to go.  Clarissa has always been there and will always do anything she can to help you.  We have been best friends since 2007 when she and I were planning Amber's baby shower together.  Man, times have changed! :)

After we got done at The Library, we went to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar and spent the rest of the night.

I think this is one of my all time favorite pictures!

Hector and I drove back the next morning after we had a late lunch with Clarissa and some other Driving Jacks alum friends of ours.  It was a fun weekend and I am very glad I was able to celebrate with Clarissa for her 30 birthday!

Planning a Color Run and Raffle

This is take 2 of the How to Plan a 5K fundraiser post from a few years ago.  The 2014 Driving Jacks 5K and raffle raised just over $8,000 via a color run and raffle.  These are a few things we did to make our color run and raffle successful. 

Note:  This is a supplemental post on how to plan the Color Run and Raffle portion of the 5K.  If you want to know how to plan a 5K in general, go to the post above. ^^^^^^

Edit:  I have now created an entire website about planning a 5K and also ebook with forms, spreadsheets and sponsor packets.  Go to www.HowtoPlana5K.com to purchase the ebook to have access to the forms we used (including a bonus section about creating color runs)

A few other changes for the 2014 race
1.  We had three categories this year:  A timed 5K (not typical at color runs, but added participants), a non-timed 5K, and a Sleep In and Hit Snooze Option-best idea ever!  These are the people who wanted to donate to the 5K, but couldn't make it that day.  We mailed them their official 5K shirt after the race.  The price was the same as the color run ($20).

2.  The volunteers had tie-dye shirts this year instead of purple ones.  They also had to sell at least $30 in raffle tickets to get a tie-dye shirt.

3.  We changed the route up this year and people loved it!  The same route each year gets boring, this year it went through the azalea trail at SFA.

4.  Social media-this year we created a FB page for people to "like".  In the past, we have always created events on FB, this time we created an actual page.  Go here to like us! :)

5.  We had a sign for the participants to take pictures in front of that was donated. Loved it!

Color Run F.A.Q.

Did you need a lot of volunteers?
We planned the 5K the exact same way as a regular 5K, but instead of needing volunteers for a water station only, we needed them for throwing color on the patrons.  We had about 6-7 volunteers at each station, and two stations had 1-2 people at the water stops (just before the participants got to the color station).

Edit:  I have now created an entire website about planning a 5K and also ebook with forms, spreadsheets and sponsor packets. 

Can we make the color?
Well, we started to make it, but that was a disaster!  While it was drying, it got mold on it and we couldn't use it.  Making your own is MUCH cheaper, but you have to do it correctly, or it will be a waste of time/money.  To give you an idea, to make 150 lbs of color powder, it would have been $100, but to buy it, it cost us $675.  I am not 100% sure why ours didn't turn out, but I think it had something to do with the water/food color/powder consistency and/or that we stored it in a garage.  If you do make it, I would suggest leaving it in a temperature controlled room without a lot of moisture to avoid the mold growth like ours had.  Also, when we did make it, we went to a food supplier and bought 50 lb bags of corn starch and then added water/food coloring.  You can buy corn starch at Wal-Mart for $1/lb, but we got ours for $20/50 lbs-see a difference?  Make a small batch before you decide if it is worth your time and effort.  We watched a Youtube video on how to make it.

So, where did you buy the color then?
We bought ours through Chameleon Colors.  They were nice, professional, and shipped it to us in a short amount of time.  They already have boxes of it made, so we didn't have to wait.

How much color do we need?
We had about a lb per participant.  I researched it and it said anywhere from 1-2 lbs per person.  We found that 1 lb was plenty for all of participants and we even had some left over!  We had a 25 lb unopened box and a little bit of other color as well that we used for the fight at the end.

Did you have a fight at the end?
Yes, in the registration packets we gave all the participants a snack size ziplock bag of color.  Plus, we had the leftover color from the color station in a pile in the middle.  There was a HUGE cloud of color.  Some runs have a color cannon, but we just had them throw it at each other in a 'fight'.

Did you give your participants some in a goodie bag?
Yes, we made snack size ziplock bags of color and gave it to the participants in their goodie bag.  They sell color packs where you can buy them already pre-made, but we decided that we didn't need to buy them.  They were 'fancy' and we were a small race that didn't need all of that.  We added about a handful or two to each ziplock.

Did the color come out of the shirts?
We had a info sheet on how to get rid of the color that we put in their participant bags.  I just googled how to get the color out and typed it up in word.  I am not sure if it came out, I stayed away from all that color! :)

Was the cleanup bad?
We had four color stations, 1 was easy, 2 were ok, and 1 was a nightmare.  3 of them we put a plastic tarp down to minimize the mess.  We got a roll of it at Home Depot for around $20.  We laid it down on the ground and duct taped it.  The volunteers were on each side, throwing the color.  It helped the mess A LOT!  At the first stop we were able to use a leaf blower to clean up and it was a breeze.  The next two had a few patches that we poured water on, but the last stop was a disaster. They didn't have a plastic sheet down and the color was everywhere!  I know that if we didn't have a sheet down on all of them, it would have been a lot worse.  We used the left over water from the water station buckets to clean it up, and then refilled them instead of lugging around a water hose.  We also had a push broom to help clean up.

What supplies did you buy specifically for the color portion of the race?
We bought plastic sheet roll that is super thin (sort of like those restaurant glove material) to keep the mess minimized.  We also bought squeeze bottles (6 for $5 at Sam's) to throw the color and a push broom for clean up (we actually borrowed that).  Plus the color too.

Did you have a timed start?
Most color runs do not have a timing system, they just say start and you finish when you finish.  I am a runner myself (and love giving out awards) and we figured we would get  lot of registrations having both a timed and non-timed race.  It was an added expense $800, but it worked out.

Where did you get the awards?
OMG!  Aren't they awesome?  I wanted something custom made this year, so I looked on Etsy and found a seller that makes custom awards.  His name is John and his site is called I Love Geocaching and he is AWESOME to work with. We got them in the shape of Texas and there is a cutout heart where Nacogdoches is, plus our logo.  I added a lime green ribbon to make them into ornaments.  We also used Crown Trophy to make some plaques for us for the overall winners.

Did everyone wear the same shirt?
We had the participants wear their white participant shirt (or any white shirt they wanted), but the volunteers had tie-dye shirts to wear.  We bought the shirts directly from the manufacture since it would cost about double for the screen printing company to provide them.

Edit:  I have now created an entire website about planning a 5K and also ebook with forms, spreadsheets and sponsor packets. 

Raffle F.A.Q.'s
How many raffle items did you have?
I believe it was around 44.

How did you get raffle items?
We made a list of the people we wanted to donate and then sent them a letter telling them about Driving Jacks and asked for the donation.  We mailed/dropped off/emailed about 140 requests and got back about 50 raffle donations plus sponsors.  A lot of them were people we knew that wanted to donate and who had businesses or worked at businesses.  People to ask are friends to sell items (like Mary Kay, Scentsy, etc), sports teams, tourist attractions in the area, restaurants, etc.

Who did you sell to?
Everyone!  We ran out of time, otherwise we would have set up a table at a grocery store or Walmart type store.  We mainly sold them to our friends and family.  I personally sold about $400 in tickets, the top person sold almost $700.  I tried to post about it on my personal FB page about once a week.

How many people sold raffle tickets?
Ummmm.  About 30?  I am not sure, but that sounds about right.

What were you 'big' items or top prizes?
An Apple iPad (donated) and a GoPro Camera (bought)

Where did you keep the tickets?
We had a raffle drum that I borrowed from my stepmom. I didn't want to buy one just for this event, but I am glad we had one.  I think you can get them for about $100 online, but a lot of elementary schools or car dealerships have them-ask if you can borrow one.

Did you give your top sellers any prizes?
We purchased three gift cards for the top two in sales ($50 and $25) and one random winner ($25). In order to be in the contest, you had to sell over $30 in tickets.

Who drew the winners?
We had someone who did not buy  tickets or sell tickets draw the names.  I didn't want someone to think it was rigged or anything, so we chose someone who didn't have anything to do with the tickets.  We also recorded it for anyone to see (just in case).

Where and when did you host the raffle?
The drawing was held at 11 am the day of the race.  We had time to finish cleaning up and then head to the office to draw.  I didn't want to lug all the prizes to the start/finish area and then worry about the wind and stuff.  It was easier to keep it all in one place.

What did you tickets say?
The State of TX is very specific about what needs to be on the tickets, I'm sure other states do as well.  I would check what your state requires.  Our tickets had our name, date and time of raffle, address, official rules, and the prize listing on one section.

Were you able to get ahold or everyone?
Yep!  We just called the number on the slip.  We did leave some voicemails, but they called back right away.  You always call back quickly when you win something!  It also helps to call everyone, leave messages if you have to, and then go back to the ones who you left messages for.  If they see a number a few times, they figure it is someone important.

Did you buy any raffle prizes?
We only bought one item, the GoPro Camera, all others were donated.  We needed to get the tickets printed and at that time we only had one 'big' item donated, so we voted to buy the other big item.  Some organizations buy all of their big items, but we only needed to buy one.

How much did you end up making from the raffle?
I am not sure the exact totals for the raffle.  We had sponsorships and registration fees to add up, but then expenses. It's hard to tell.  I do believe that without the raffle, we would have had a lot less profit, probably only about $3,000-$4,000 instead of $8,000.  (that could be bad math though!)

Where did you buy the raffle tickets?  Did you make them?
I got them online through a printer.  We order 4,000 of them and sold probably about 2,500-3,000. I don't have the exact totals in front of me.  We spent (with shipping) about $175 on the tickets.  I didn't want to print them ourselves because by the time we created them, bought the paper and ink, etc., we would have just spent that time on something else.  It is an expense, but worth it.

Edit:  I have now created an entire website about planning a 5K and also ebook with forms, spreadsheets and sponsor packets. 

2 moms and 2 single ladies take on Nac

A few weekends ago I traveled to Nacogdoches to meet some friends for a fun night and also work on some Driving Jacks 5K stuff.  I hadn't seen some of my best friends in so long, I needed a friends weekend!

I got to Nacogdoches right at 11 am with the worst headache!  I stopped at CVS to purchase some migraine medicine and then headed to the DJ office to meet with some 5K committee members.  After our meeting we headed to Cotton Patch (which I LOVE!!!) for lunch. I try to go to CP every time I travel to Nac, but it doesn't always happen.  I love me some Cotton Patch.

Krista and Clarissa were traveling from Beaumont and Dallas and I met them at the hotel we stayed at.  After we got dressed to go out, we headed over to Brittany's house to make some thank you cards for people/companies that donated to the Driving Jacks 5K and raffle.  We headed to dinner at Casa Tomas and we had so much fun!  We talked and talked.  I missed my girls!  All three of those ladies were friends from my Driving Jacks days, Driving Jacks honestly is were 80% of my best friends came from. :)

After dinner we headed to the Driving Jacks office to hang out with the members that were working that night.  We played games with them and just talked about the olden days.  We had meant to pep them up for the 5K and raffle sales, but I think we sort of preached and 'mom-ed' them instead of giving a pep rally. OOPS!  It's just that all of us were Presidents and Vice Presidents of the organization at one time, and we care so much about it. We just wanted to instill that passion in them too.  Later that night though, when we were dropped off, the people who took us home said it was a good talk and they glad they heard it, so I didn't feel too bad. :)

We went out to a local bar after that and then crashed a fraternity party (Theta Chi) after the bar closed.  Before we went out, we were all saying that we didn't think we would make it past midnight, but here we were closing down a bar! LOL.  We drove around and found a fraternity house that had beer and we just hung out there and made friends.  Clarissa and Brittany played beer pong, but Krista and I just hung out and talked to some guy who was in the military.

After a while I was feeling light headed (I hadn't felt very well for a few days prior, hence the head ache earlier) so I headed to my car while they finished their partying.  They came to check on me to make sure I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want them to not have fun.  I was fine in my car, just playing with my phone.  I'm a weirdo! LOL.

About 2:30 I called Driving Jacks to have them pick us up since we had all been driving.    They close at 3 am, so I wanted to be sure they would pick us up.  They got there around 2:45 am and we headed out.  The entire time we were talking to the members (they new who we were since they met us earlier) and telling old stories.  I'm always glad when I can hang out with other DJ members and alumni, just seeing Amy's vision come to life.

The entire time we were there we were using hash tag speak #twomomsandtwosingleladiestakeonNac and #toooldforthis.  We thought we would be home and in bed by midnight, but we made it to 4 am!  What is up with that?  Who am I?  That NEVER happens!

The next morning we went to our continental breakfast and then lunch before heading home.  I had so much fun and I really needed to see my friends.  I miss them so much!

SFA and Driving Jacks Visit

I am on the planning committee for the 2014 Driving Jacks 5K as the Race Director. I planned the 5K in 2012, but I was in Africa for the 2013 race. Back in October my friend Hector asked if I was going to plan it for 2014 and I was hesitant. The race is a lot of work and a big time commitment as the race director and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be involved that heavily again. I said that if no one else wanted to be the race director, then I would as long as I had other alumni helping me. Luckily, there are 5 other alumni that are on the committee and a great chair of the Nacogdoches Driving Jacks committee (actual DJ members). The race was my idea back in 2012 so I want to see it continue each year. The way it is set up is that the DJ Alumni Committee plans the event and the Nac Committee help be our ‘feet on the street’ for things that we need done in Nacogdoches itself. We didn’t want the Nac Committee to have to do too much in terms of planning the race, we want them to focus on making Driving Jacks itself the best organization it can be.

So, I went up to Nac two weekends before Thanksgiving to do some stuff with the 5K route and a have a meeting with the new Driving Jacks President and Vice President. I left my house early that morning and made the drive to Nacogdoches. My plan was to run the route and do some other 5K stuff, but I didn’t end up making it to run the route (that came a few weekends later). Plus, I didn’t really want to have a meeting with the new Prez and VP all sweaty!

I spent my time shopping for new SFA gear (I got two new shirts!) and going around Nacogdoches to see what changes there were. This sign was at B&N and I thought it was hilarious! I didn’t get it though.

After the meeting with the new Prez and VP I was going to head home since it was getting late. I really wanted to meet some of the members of Driving Jacks at operations, so I stayed until they came in to volunteer. I was in the office with a DJ officer and a new member and they were asking me questions about the first night and the first semester. He asked me if I remembered what the first car was and I told him it was a Dodge Magnum. I asked if they had ever seen the pictures of the first night, but they hadn’t so I showed him all of my DJ pictures of that semester from my phone.

I went to hang out with the other members that were starting to congregate in the commons area. I was watching how they do the refresher now and it is super cool. The refresher is when they ask questions about DJ operations and how to respond. Instead of random slips of paper, they post the questions on the back of playing cards. <--they also="" are="" back="" compared="" day="" did="" fancy="" first="" how="" in="" it="" lol="" mode="" p="" semester="" survival="" that="" the="" to="" we="" were="">

One of the officers that was working that night introduced me to everyone. I told them who I was and that we are planning a 5K fundraiser again this year for them. Then I asked if they wanted to see pictures (they did), and I showed them the pics and told lots of funny/sad/sweet memories that I had. It was honestly my favorite time to ever go back to SFA as an alumni. I don’t know if it was because I was by myself and not in a group, but they asked me lots of questions and actually talked to me. Each time I had gone up there before I had always been in a group of people or with my friends so they never really asked us questions. I loved that I actually got to speak with them that weekend! Love me some DJ.


Afterwards I went to my car and was driving out when I saw the Austin building lit up in purple. So pretty! Please excuse the bad camera phone picture; it is much prettier in real life. The building is lit up for SFA’s 90^th anniversary.

I posted on FB about being at Nac to talk to the members about the early beginnings of Driving Jacks and tagged some people from that first semester. Old alumni were posting stories and pictures, it was great. Like I said, it was my favorite time to go up there ever!

The Driving Jacks 5K is Almost Here

 Some of you might remember the Driving Jacks 5K from last year where we raised $6,000 for the Driving Jacks Endowment Fund.  This year the 5K will held on April 20^th, 2013 and you will for sure not want to miss it!!  I, unfortunately, will have to miss it because I will be in Kenya, but I encourage everyone to attend.

What is Driving Jacks?  Driving Jacks is a nonprofit, student led organization at SFASU that gives FREE designated driver rides to SFASU students and anyone in the Nacogdoches, TX community.  Driving Jacks raises money through donations and fundraisers so they can continue operating.

Last year, the Driving Jacks alumni hosted the first annual Driving Jacks 5K (read my recap here) and it was a huge success!  Over 125 people registered for the event and we raised over $3,000 plus we had a very generous matching donation of $3,000 for a total of $6,000.  I was the Event Director last year, but this year I bowed out because I knew I would be busy with marathon training for the majority of the year.  Then, in January, I found out that I was going on my mission trip to Africa which was the same time as the 5K.  I was bummed that I couldn’t make it, but I did donate a Kindle to the door prizes so one lucky person will get that!!

Please think about registering for the 5K.  You can run, walk, crawl, skip, or any other way you want to complete the 5K.  In addition, if you choose not to run (or can’t make it to Nacogdoches that day) you can register for the 5K and I will mail you your 5K shirt!  You get to sleep in and help us raise $$ for Driving Jacks, it’s a win-win situation.

6 year anniversary

On the 25^th of January Driving Jacks had their 6^th Anniversary.  The entire day I thought I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t remember what it was.  Once I logged into FB I realized that I had forgotten to wish them a Happy Anniversary.  Oh, what a bad former President I am!

 For those of you who don’t know what Driving Jacks is, it’s a free designated driver program in Nacogdoches, TX that gives rides on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 10 pm to 3 am.  When I was in college I helped to get the program off the ground and start operating.  

Picture time!!! I wanted to share some of the pictures I have of that year with all of you.  Let's all take a walk down memory lane shall we?.  Oh and you will see my hair change colors several times during my college years. :)

Carwash #1.  In order to raise money for the non-profit application fee ($800) we had to raise money via carwashes and chocolate sales.  Let me tell you, My children will NEVER sell chocolate bars.  Ever.  Long story, but we had to sell over 2,000 chocolate bars.  We did it in a few months, but to this day, 6 years later, every time I see the World's Finest Chocolate Bars I get a little queasy.  I wish I was kidding.  (For more pics go here)

Non-Proft Mailing Ceremony-Finally, after two years of working on the application we completed it (and raised the $$) and were ready to mail it off.  Me, being the party planner that I am, decided we needed to have a party after the post office closed to celebrate us mailing it off.  We had cupcakes, hats, blowers, everything!  I can only imagine what the post office was thinking when they looked at the surveillance tape the next day. haha.  (For more pics go here)

C.A.R.P.O.O.L. Visit-Me, Krista, and Jonathan decided to take a trip to College Station for a visit with Texas A &M's program called CARPOOL.  We got to hang out with the Aggies for a night, watch the operations and even had a mock ride.  They were fabulous hosts. :) (For more pics go here)

First Night of Operations-Finally the day had arrived for our first night of operations.  Right before Thanksgiving break we had our last meeting of the semester.  We had been in talks about raising $30,000 first and then start operations, but God had an even bigger plan for Driving Jacks.  Someone (I think Bodin?) said "Why don't we just run until we run out of money?" We all looked at each other across the table and decided to go for it.  We picked a date and made it public.  Finally, after two and  a half years of planning, it was finally coming together.  We got the phone number (936-652-6600) and we were good to go.

Again, me being the planner I am, we got a cake and hats for the party and invited everyone. 

(For more pics go here)

First semester DJ members!  Some are not present in this photo because we needed them to work the other nights of the weekend.  We only had about 20 members that first semester though (now I think they have over 100).

Amy's best friend Amanda (go to DJ's website to find out more info on the story of Amy and Driving Jacks) took the first call for us in honor of Amy.  Here is a secret:  We were really worried that no one would call us so we set up 'backup' riders in case no one called.  LOL.  However, we were really busy with our one car that we didn't need backup riders. :)  This picture is of Matt and Krista heading out to pick up the first ride.  Yes, our first car for was a pimpin' Dodge Magnum.

  While they were doing the driving, our other members were our Shields.  Shields are what we call the other members who go out to parties and bars (who aren't allowed to drink at them) and advertise that Driving Jacks is operating that night.  These are some Shields who we had just told them that we got our first call, hence the "1" hand symbol.  (For more pics go here)

  Carwash #2-To raise more money for operations we had another carwash that spring.  I don't remember why we posed like this???(For more pics go here)

 Organization of the Year-At the end of the semester we had a leadership banquet for all of the organizations on campus.  I remember getting there and being handed my name badge and being told I had an assigned seat at the front (looking back on it, that was weird!).  We had applied for Organization of the Year so when that category came up we were on pins and needles when they were announcing the award.  They did a slide show announcing each nominee and I thought it was in alphabetical order, so when they skipped over our name I thought we weren't nominated (not everyone who applies is nominated).  Totally bummed.  Then they did get to our slide and all hope was not lost!  Finally, they announced the winners 'stats', how many hours of community service they did, and a few other ones I don't remember, but then they said something about designated driving and I knew we got it.  I went up and accepted the award, crying the entire time.  I was so excited that other leaders thought that Driving Jacks deserved and award.  Being on campus for one year and being in operations for 1 semester we got Organization of the Year.  It was an awesome night. (For more pics go here)

I am amazed at how much Driving Jacks has grown.  I am in awe of what they have accomplished in 6 short years and I am so blessed to have been a part of it as a member, and even more so blessed to be a former President. When we were in that tiny corner of an old building taking phone calls I don't know if I could have imagined them being what they are today.  I could not be more proud. Every member has made it to what it is today.