Four Guys, a Girl and a Hectic House: Meeting My Best Friends at Walk-a-thon, the End of an Era

This morning I am feeling that sad mix of emotions that nostalgia stirs. I slept poorly last night because I reached that nasty point of being over-exhausted but still amped from too many diet coke's. My legs were aching from alternating walking laps with my 6 year old and standing popping popcorn, selling food at concessions and running back and forth to the staff lounge to re-stock the bake sale. All to benefit our elementary school Bubb's Walk-a-thon. It was our family's 12th consecutive year.

As I stood popping popcorn and juggled the needs of my three children: the oldest via text for marching band commitments, my middle feeling ridiculous as a volunteer sign holder (see pic below) and my youngest taking a break from walking laps to fill up on pizza, ice cream and popcorn, I started to get misty-eyed. While my friend Joanne and her youngest son Owen helped me pop we reminisced about the love affair Owen has enjoyed with our trusty popcorn machine. Since the time he was able to see over the table he has stood at our side at movie nights and school dances, watching the popcorn fill the machine while Jen and I tag-teamed the perfect combination of corn, oil and flavor-all ... scooping ... closing ... passing ... repeat. This is Owen's last year at Bubb. Where has the time gone?

All of my closest friends have either moved on from Bubb or will be leaving after this school year. I still have four more Walk-a-thon's. Our shoulder-to-shoulder work from planning to clean-up sealed our connection. We have all loved this event that brought our husbands on to campus, our kids into the community for pledges and a purpose for our volunteering efforts.

I met one of my best friends Michelle at my first Walk-a-thon. She was PTA President and running the show. The following year we were inseparable. We had an energy to get things done. Our mission was to pull everyone into the school community and rid the school of the notion of have's-have not's. I learned from her that everyone has a different level of giving and as a leader you should be grateful and embrace whatever that amount might yield. I coordinated the Silent Auction for 9 years. Bec was Walk-a-thon Chair. Laura and Renelle handled food. At the end of the night after the event was cleaned up, with our kids in a bake sale induced sleep, we noshed on chips and drank margarita's to decompress. Today their children who were pushing for one last lap ... one more piece of pizza ... one more sno cone ... one more minute on the playground are in college. Where has the time gone?

My friend Jen and I met when our oldest son's started kindergarten. We were room mom's together with our friend Stacey (who is literally the nicest, most generous woman you will ever meet). Jen was my PTA convention buddy in Sacramento, Long Beach and San Jose. She knows PTA rules, regulations and core beliefs like the back of her hand and should be anyone's go-to for information, but she's not. Like me, she's old school. Jen is also one of the few people in this world who has, and will back me unconditionally in every situation (she waits until we're in private to tell me I am being stupid), and taught me to be fiercely loyal to my friends. With four kids, I thought she would be at Bubb forever. Back in my Silent Auction heyday, they, along with our friend Elyse were my "Team". This year the "Team" comprised of 30 people. This is Jen's last year. Stacey and Elyse haven't been at Bubb for two years. A new era has emerged.

As I started to empty cooler chests I thought about at all of these mom's who are moving on from Bubb, closing out their final Walk-a-thon: Jen, Joanne, Ruth, Jenny, Beth, Penny, Debbie, Susan. Of this era, which is actually my second wave, I am the only one left. I look around and I really don't know anyone. It's a new crop of parents, a new time at Bubb. I am the aging CEO in a room of shiny faced MBA grads. I no longer fit. There are no margarita's after the Walk-a-thon, I'm just ready for bed.

Suddenly I think about the popcorn machine and I am inspired. I bought it when I was PTA President. Back then we were both shiny and new. Like me, it has seen a lot of events. It has brought people happiness. It has raised the school a lot of money. It's that pain-in-the-ass at the end of the night that everyone has to deal with. I start to think, maybe, just maybe, I need a third wave at Bubb. One last hurrah before our 16th and final Walk-a-thon. And, just maybe, I want a new era of best friends. Like everything else, only time will tell.