Adventures In 4-H | Turning In Project #1 {Part 1}

We've spent the last week involved with a little thing known as 4-H.  Let me preface this with a brief glimpse into my background.  Prior to marriage, I could count on one hand how many times I actually attended a 4-H fair.  I will also inform you that with ALL of those occasions I was accompanied by my now husband.  Even then, I did not understand the magnitude of this event. 

See, in my head, walking through countless buildings filled with mounds after mounds of malodorous waste was the last thing on my fun-activities-for-the-summer to-do list.  I'm pretty darn certain that my olfactory nerve has always been in overdrive, which causes me to have a very acute sense of smell.  I'm thinking I should enlist my talents with the FBI in efforts to help with bomb location and recovery. 

All-in-all, my system seems to intensify horrid smells causing my eyes to cross, which can be quite troublesome when trying to avoid random chicken droppings. 

Besides, it's about all I can muster to keep myself from running through the animal barns unleashing every animal all the while yelling "Free Willy."  Remember, I save worms, people! 

Fast forward to the year 2012 when our daughter was officially old enough to become a true 4-H member.  Oh, the day I loathed, which was mostly due to the fact that I dare not  agree with my husband on this matter.  We're both first borns...enough said.

So the time came when our daughter's first project needed to be submitted.  I agreed to take her...not knowing the extent of community involvement with 4-H.  I left about 20 minutes before her project was due only to find a line of cars that extended down the road and onto the following side street!  There was even a police officer directing traffic.  WHAT?!  At first glance, I thought I somehow ended up in a line waiting to see Rascal Flatts.  Or maybe Elvis was among the living again...nope!

Once through this line, trying to find a place to park was next to impossible.  Oh, I would also like mention that it was pouring down rain!  Really?  It's the year of drought and for some unknown reason, it decided to rain on the one day we had to walk over 5,612 miles to turn in a poster filled with photographs!  My daughter is still beside herself with the choice I made in parking my vehicle...but I'll leave that one alone.

Once inside the building, we are consumed by a mass of people who all seemed to know what they're doing.  We. Did. NOT!  After searching in all directions for the specific location for photography projects, I returned to the front desk in order to ask for some help only to find a line of people a mile long!  And the clock was ticking...remember I gave myself a whopping 20 minutes from start to finish to turn in said project.

Like a child with complete confidence stage fright, I asked the nice lady where we needed to go.  She said "Go straight down the hall."  I turned over my shoulder to where she was pointing and noticed that the hall was anything but straight.  In fact, it branched off in two different directions!  Again, I asked "Where exactly do you mean?"  She replied with "Just go straight.  You'll run right into the room."  Not wanting to look any more like an outcast than I already did, I hurried off towards the branch in the hallway. 

I looked over at my daughter and said "This should be interesting."  The halls were swarming with people who were a lot more confident than I.  With a hazy glaze of uncertainty covering my eyes, I somehow gathered up some courage to move forward.  With a click of our heels, we trotted off and miraculously found our destination. 

There is more to this 4-H adventure, but I'll end there for now. 

*Note:  This was just the first 20 minutes of our 4-H week.  I've got a lot to learn!