Thanks to Pandora, who has made me come up for air, I'm writing an update on what is going on with me and my adventures into charity haunt professionalism.

I can pretty much sum it up in three words..."It ain't fun!"  It's not exactly "hell", but it's sometimes a struggle, occasionally depressing and often stressful.  To be an organziation that is trying to accomplish what we are trying on such a shoestring budget leaves room for only two ways to go ~

Beg Street and Borrow Avenue.

The endless calls to make...the mounds of paperwork cluttering your life...emails, emails, emails...the sleepless nights (it's currently 2:26am).  It all adds up to...

probably the most noble thing I have ever done in my life.

To say starting this nonprofit has changed my life is an understatement.  For years, I often wondered why I was put on this earth.  Besides giving birth to four really great individuals, there had to be another reason, another cause, for my existence.  Now, when I see the work I am doing with ShadowBox Theatre Company, I am no longer perplexed.  I'm here to help children with Autism and their care-givers.  No "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it.  And what better way to help them in October than to include them in my 30 year passion...Haunting the living nightlights out of anyone who dares step foot on my property.

"The HOUSE", the name my haunt is donning this year is coming along slowly and is in the midst of a major floorplan change at this late date.  We open October 29th and have not even created half the walls necessary.  At least I don't believe we have since like I said, the floorplan is undergoing a major change.  I've had to create another floorplan of my entire property on graph paper so that I can have a proper plan of "The HOUSE" to give to the Fire Marshall to pass inspection and the County for our temporary permit.  The deadlines to jump through all hoops and make our haunt "legal" is upon us and I'm to turn in our applications with fees and plans on Friday.  That means pulling an all day(er) on creating the new floorplan.  I'm going to be partially utilizing a floorplan technique called the "Triangle Grid."  This technique creates walls that are set at different angles wether than all right angles.  I, like most, prefer right angles, but feel it would be quite interesting and take away my customers' "comfort zone" if I through in a room every so often with walls on an angle.  This is going to be quite interesting.....

This time last month, I was very concerned about the amount of volunteers I was garnering for our event.  Five people cannot run a haunt the size of "The HOUSE."  I'm happy to report that things have definitely changed on the volunteer front.  Thanks to Volunteermatch.org and craigslist.org, I have over 20 individuals who are dedicated to making this fundraiser work.  Yes, we are behind schedule and yes, sometimes we don't know what the hell we are doing, but we're determined to make "The HOUSE" the best damn charity haunt this community has seen in years.

A week ago, I was pulling my hair out and about to cry because we had run out of wood and had no money to purchase any.  Companies that promised donations of wood pallets only delivered pallets that looked like they had been sitting out in the elements since the Civil War.  But, whoever said "What a difference a day makes" certainly knew their stuff.  Because the days of disappointment were followed by miracles and the kind heartedness of those who truly care.

Thanks to a few individual companies, we now have what we believe to be enough wood.  WHEW!

Unfortunately, the begging and borrowing isn't over yet.  We yet have things that are required by Fire Marshall regulations on our "To Get" list.  That means more knocking on doors, chats on the phone and faxing up a storm in my future.  Next year, if we do not have a budget that will keep me from having to do all that I have to, to keep us above water...there will NOT be a haunt.  Not to this magnitude.  However, I don't anticipate next year to be as this one.  I've gotten a lot of experience under my belt this time around on how to run a charity haunt and what is required.  Hindsight is 20/20.

Well, I'm off to the frig for a soda and to try this sleep thang I've been hearing about again.

So, how will your day go for you....

PEACE!