Basket Night--Arthur's Version

Every year after Basket Night, Arthur declares that we are not going next year.  And every year when Basket night rolls around, the kids get so excited about it, and I still purchase our dinner tickets for us to go.

Basket Night is a fundraiser for our kids' elementary school.  Every class collects items for a basket, each basket with a different theme.  They really are fun--Gift Card baskets, Lego baskets, Star Wars baskets, Games and Puzzles, Gardening, Chocolate and Coffee, Family Fun, etc.  Then everyone is invited to the school on a Thursday night for Rudy's BBQ, face painting, music, and of course, raffling off the baskets.

As we were heading home from last night's basket night, Arthur was going on and on about it, and I suggested he write it on the blog--he'd feel much better.  Besides, his point of view was pretty funny.  But he hardly ever gets on here, so I guess it's up to me to document Arthur's Version of Basket Night.

I am paraphrasing, but this is basically how Arthur feels about Basket Night, and why we're not going next year:

It's the same thing every year.  It's always windy, because springtime in New Mexico "blows."  But the kids are all excited, and get in the car without even being asked, so I reluctantly get in the car to take the whole family out to basket night.  At first, when we get there, it's not too bad.  All the families are out on the field on blankets and lawn chairs.  There is music playing and you can smell Rudy's BBQ and Kettle Corn.  Good times, right?  We spread out our blanket, and one of us goes with the older kids to get the food.  We wait in line forever to get our food.  It's good food--but by the time you walk from the food line back to your blanket (which is not THAT far) the wind has dried out your bread and cooled off your food for you.

Dinner goes like this:  The people who care about eating (Me, Sharee, Dallin & Sean) are all trying to eat our food before it gets too cold.  Hayden takes just enough bites to get his brownie, and Daphne keeps asking to run off with her friends even though she hasn't eaten anything yet.  And even though we always purchase less plates than family members, we still throw out a BUNCH of food because the kids aren't going anywhere near the coleslaw or potato salad.  Inevitably someone will knock over their soda and get the blanket all wet and sticky.  And, of course in the middle of dinner, the pottytraining/newly pottytrained child, in this case, Hayden, needs to go to the bathroom.  We can't find one that is unlocked. He tries to "New-York-Style" it, but gets stagefright, so then we spend the rest of the time wondering when the accident is coming.  

So after the eating ordeal is done, we get our basket tickets and the kids put their tickets in their favorite baskets.  It takes 45 minutes to raffle off all the baskets.  Everyone is talking and you can't hear anything the announcer is saying, so if even if we did win a basket, we'd probably miss it.   The last basket is FINALLY raffled off.   Of course we don't win a basket, and of course, the 5-year-old in the family has an emotional breakdown because they didn't win the basket they were dreaming of, the older kids have gone off with some of their friends and while we are trying to find them,  the 3-year-old gets lost, and the baby is just DONE.  (Like me.)  We walk back to the car, carrying our sticky picnic blanket, and feeling irritated because 5 is still crying,  3 is asking us why did we get lost? the baby is whining and the wind is blowing dust in our eyes.  We are not coming next year.

And yet, when it comes again a year later, all I remember is the yummy Rudy's BBQ, the smell of the Kettle Corn, and the kids having a fun time (despite not winning a basket) and the community togetherness we enjoy . . .  and next year when the kids bring home the information about basket night, and are so excited about going, I will probably cave in and buy our dinner tickets.   Again.