You know why I yell? Because YOU DON'T LISTEN!!!

Festival of Trees is almost over. Festival of Trees Baby. FOT.
Or depending on the day Eff Oh Tee.

I was an assistant chair for a FOT committee. I learned a fair bit about League and here I sit on the other side of Girls Night Out, Daddy/Daughter Dance, Mommy/Son Breakfast and of course, Gala. What can I say? I feel such genuine pride telling people I am in League. Yes, yes, there's that elitist thing. I know it's not my best quality. But I cannot help it.

League. That's what we call it. To the ousider, we might say Junior League. But when we talk about it conversationally, it's just League. I am a member of League and I love it. I have real friends now - right here, in Champaign. For all my longterm friends back east, a collective sigh of thank fucking goodness...she has met people. I fear my problems were exceeding their pay grade, so yes, local friends are lovely. Some are fucking amazing.

No, we don't only wear pearls. Or twin sets. I might need to invest in some Tory Burch but I wanted to do that anyway. And finally, yes they really let me in.

Anyway, my committee was responsible most printed items. Save the dates, email texts, invitation design, posters, billboards, lawn signs. If there was printing on it, we had a hand. If it was read in a newpaper, came out of an envelope or was on the radio some member of my committee was involved.

Big departure from last year where as a new member and all I had to do was volunteer 13 hours and help design a tree. We designed the Sex and the City tree (Biggie shouts to Mary Beth who came through with a Jimmy Choo clutch worth over $950.00 Miss & Love you long time!) It was all pink and sparkly. It was also the only part of FOT 2008 I enjoyed.

2009 - totally different. I knew a little more and I had a title. I love a title. (again, elitism)

My committees' work was really done by late September. Marketing picks up speed early - like in June. We were cooking with gas by July. Nope, not everything was perfectly smooth. There were moments of I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS... and REALLY? ANOTHER E-MAIL FROM. Being a fund raiser by profession, marketing is mostly something I dabble with in a staff meeting when I have an idea that warrents speaking out loud. Each item we worked on had nuance. Some pieces needed to be bright and eye catching. Some needed elegance. Some needed information. The only thing I can assure you was everything I did had something to do with marketing.

Get it? Let me be clear. I never once in the past 6 months mentioned an actual tree.

True to form, Lucio handled my new title well, listening to my rants and congratulating me when he suspected I needed a boost. Getting out of the house a few times with Jack so the committee could take over our dining room. Picking up Jimmy Johns. He knew what I was working on and he liked what I was doing. Or so he had me thinking.

I told him about the laborious choice of printers, lamented when the designer had evidentally stopped listening to us and needed a stern talking to (she totally rallied) and shared moments when I was being such a totally superb team player and never once called a name or used my jersey gene.

Flash forward to this morning. Public Hours. 9:40 am.

In Lucio walks with Jack. I am headed to help set up for Gala. I'm in my apron and sharing which trees could use some more of our tickets. I kiss his cheek and tell him we've already put about $20 worth of tickets in the UP tree. I turn to walk away and I hear Lucio say the following.
"Okay, see you later. Love you. Hey -which tree is yours?"

Argh. You want to know why I yell? Because you don't listen.

I was never in a sorority. Didn't make the cut. When I hear Julie and Valerie chide Lucio (gently, or course) for not knowing that I didn't design a tree - as I was on the marketing committe - I have my first sorority moment.

It turns out I pledged at the tender age of 37.

Just under the wire.