Mile High Music Festival

So I survived the big weekend! It was seriously HOT. Really, really HOT. I spent from about 9:30 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday at the festival, minus a few hours on Sunday when I came home. There were lots and lots of people there, 40,000 on Saturday and about 60,000 or so on Sunday.

We handed out a bunch of brochures, sold some tshirts and signed up a couple of sponsors, and had several people sign up to be part of an email list. People were of course at the festival to have fun, hear music and to party, so all things considered, we did okay. Our booth itself wasn't much to look at--I was sharing it with another nonprofit who wanted their sign to hang, so mine had to be taped onto the table and all I had was masking tape (it was SO WINDY.) I'd wanted to use my Ethiopian tablecloth on the table, but couldn't find it, yet realized early on that I was glad I stuck with the ghetto wood--because people were continuously spilling beer on the table.

And as a fantastic bonus (hey, I'm only human!), Kevin and I got see Tom Petty and Dave Matthews! They were the headliners of the festival, so we saw Tom on Saturday night with my brother in law and sister in law, and the Dave Matthews Band Sunday night. Yes, all four of our kids were at the concerts until 11:30 p.m. Tom Petty is one of my all-time fave's, he is such a cool old rocker. (It really made me miss my friend Sara, fellow Tom Petty enthusiast and who I went to my last Tom concert with.) Dave Matthews was great, but they played a lot of new music that I didn't know, and they DIDN'T play "Crash", what's with that?! We also saw a little of John Mayer.

Biniam nice and cozy during DMB

Anna kept asking, "Is the concert over yet?"Yosef was a little sleepyGetting creative about how to get all our stuff, and kids, back to the car. He was happy to help!Me and my girl at DMB. Exhausted.

Just an aside--I totally missed my kids all weekend, it was horrible! I'd get up with them in the morning, get them ready for the day, and then I'd leave and we'd all hook back up at night at the festival, but I was so homesick for them during the day! I am SO GLAD to be an at-home mom, I cannot even tell you! Short of my husband being abducted by aliens, an at-home mom I will remain. For sure. Definitely. Not that working outside my home has EVER been on the table (for either Kevin or I), but it just reinforced that even if it means that someday we have to move to Arkansas and live in a single-wide trailer--seriously--I will be home taking care of my little ones!!! (Don't worry, I'd definitely get some pink flamingos to put outside the trailer to spruce it up.)

So that's the story. People were interested in the Hope Packets I made so I think that AHOPE probably does have potential to gain sponsors at events. Not sure what our next one will be, but I'm hoping to get some stuff together so churches and individuals can hold their own sponsorship drives.