September 24, 2010 – Friday

What a "surprising" Swiss Days it has been this year! A few days ago Rod asked if I wanted to go hear the yodeler sing at Swiss Days on Friday night. I had just read the review about him and said it sounded like a great date!! (The stage was set, figuratively. . . )

Friday was a VERY busy day, that didn't go the way I had planned! My intention was to spend a good portion of the day doing homework, after I got cleaned up. Ha! Didn't get one lick of it done!! I'm still not sure what took up my morning -- oh yeah, piano competition stuff, piano recital and evaluation stuff, community garden computer work, and the family blog all got done...then it was off to visit Don and Joyce a bit, pick up my 5k race shirts (didn't run/walk the race, but I LOVE the shirts I registered for!), took the computer in to get fixed, went to Home Depot for parts for the community garden, back to the computer store, then home with barely enough time to get the horses brought to the house to wash and ready them for the parade on Saturday. Whew!

Rod came home after school for a "blink" before he left to go to physical therapy. I was working on the 2nd horse. Rod came home from his appointment and I was on the 4th horse, and it was now 5:15. (Rod starts to wonder if "the surprise" can be pulled off...)

At 6:00 I STILL have not cleaned up for the day! (Rod's getting worried, because I look and smell like a horse! [My words, not his!] and yet I have NO CLUE about what's REALLY on the agenda...)

It's 6:15 p.m. when I take one of my new Swiss Days running shirts and head for the shower. (Rod breathes a sigh of relief...)

I was all cleaned up by 6:40, but was hungry and suggested I cook some corn from the garden and slice some tomatoes. Rod wasn't enthusiastic about it, but I knew how good the corn was! I was sure he would enjoy it, so I made some in the microwave. It only took a few minutes. I could tell that Rod didn't want to be late for the Yodeler so we ate HOT corn very fast, and then we were on our way with 5 minutes to spare.(Nothing out of the ordinary was even close to MY radar...)

We drove down to the Swiss Days festivities, and I only had to ask Rod to slow his pace down a couple of times because my foot is a bit painful to walk on. (I still had NO IDEA. . .)

A school group of kids was singing as we finally located a couple of empty seats in the crowd under the large white pavillion tent. The group finished singing as I decided my foot would be MUCH more comfortable if I took my shoe off and rested it on Rod's leg. (Rod didn't say a thing, just rubbed my foot...)

After the kids left the stage, Mayor Rick Rosenberg got up and welcomed everyone. He thanked the sponsors who have helped, and mentioned a few other things, then he said, "Is Patrice Hunt here?"

"What????" Was my first dumbfounded thought? He asked again, so I stood up as I thought "They're thanking me for doing the parade for the last two years??? Why??!!" Then the mayor asked me to come up to the stage. As I HOBBLED up there with one shoe off and one shoe on (diddle-diddle-dumpling, my son John!) he announced, "Patrice is our VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR!" Partway to the stage I turned and looked at Rod, questioning if he knew about this. That (sweetheart) RAT!!! Turns out he had known for a MONTH!!

It was a very nice honor, and I was TOTALLY unsuspecting!

(I DO feel a bit satisfied to know that I caused Rod a tad bit of concern with all the last minute "wondering" if I was going to be ready in time for our "date.")

By the way, the yodeler was REALLY good! I'm glad THAT part of our date was still part of our fun evening!!