jakorte's blog

March 18, 2008: On Monday night, after learning of our new assignment, my kitchen duty partner and I quickly agreed on a menu, made a shopping list, and planned our day.

Our simple version went like this:
Set up breakfast, make cinnamon toast, clean up from breakfast.
Drive team members to the roofing site. (All 3 vehicles were needed.)
Go food shopping.
Return to Church base and make lunches for all.
Deliver lunches, make restroom runs.
Return to Church base and make dinner for all. Maybe do some laundry.
Return to roofing site to pick up team members.
Return to Church base, serve & clean up dinner.
Call it a day.

What really happened:
Make cinnamon toast, clean up from breakfast.
Drive team members to the roofing site. (All 3 vehicles were needed to transport crew.)
Go to Lowe’s for roofing supplies.
Return to roofing site, deliver supplies.
Return to Lowe’s for additional supplies.
Return to roofing site, deliver supplies.
Take special requests from team members for items needed from Walmart.
Drive some team members from roofing site to kitchen site.
Return to Church base to make lunches for all. Oops! Used nearly all the bread for cinnamon toast, so…
Drive to Walmart, go shopping for bread, dinner supplies, breakfast and lunch for Wednesday, special requests.
Drive (quickly) back to Church base to make lunches – running way behind.
Perform lunch aerobics – GITC Kitchen Aerobics Series video to be released soon.
Receive call asking for 3 more lunches to be made – no problem ‘cause we haven’t even left yet!
Drive to kitchen site to pick up team members.
Drive to roof site to deliver lunches to waiting, starving, but seemingly happy to see us crowd.
Scarf down lunch while listening to team leader laugh, “Plans? You made plans?�
Drive to Lowe’s for kitchen site team supplies.
Drive to Walmart – not sure what for….
Deliver team members to kitchen site.
Return to Church base to throw together something that will pass for dinner.
Perform dinner aerobics – second video in the GITC Kitchen Aerobics Series.
Pick up members from kitchen site and bring back to Church base.
Continue performing dinner aerobics, while dodging two other teams' sets of cooks.
Pose for team picture in front of trailer, while hoping that the garlic bread isn't burning.
Continue performing dinner aerobics.
Serve dinner, serve dessert, deliver devotion.
Wind down to the point of near collapse, but not before praying I get an easier assignment tomorrow.
Maybe something like using a stubborn donkey to move a greased hippo uphill during an ice storm?

PS. It’s harder to remain anonymous in a small group, especially if you are in charge of food.