As many of you know, my oldest decided to join the Cross
Country team this year. Now, I had absolutely no experience with high school
sports (or any organized sports, for that matter.) I really had no idea what
was expected from me or from my son. Well, one of the things, it turns out, was
to be part of the parent carpool when these was no bus available for
transportation. Another was to pick him up from his daily practice at a park
nearly 4 miles from out home. And, finally, I was expected to show up at the
meets with snacks and to cheer on the team. Um… we have no car. I prepared my son for the begging for rides from kids who
live near us to both the track meets on Saturdays and home from practice Monday
through Friday. I missed all but two of the meets because I managed to plot a
route that included a bus ride and long walk. Oh, and thanks to my son, I had
no idea that I was supposed to be sending snacks each week! ("I forgot.")
Let me tell you something – my idea of a coach used to be
the ones you see on TV and in movies. You know the ones, they yell at and
belittle the kids in order to “motivate” them and toughen them up. They act
uncaring and apathetic toward any adversity a kid might face outside of the
sport. My views have been changed forever! My son’s coach was a really nice guy. He could tell that my
son really wanted to participate in Cross Country, so he worked out
transportation. In fact, most of the time, the coach, himself, would drive 20 minutes
in the opposite direction of his house in order to drive my son home from
practice. Every. Day. Since he had to be at the Saturday meets extra early, he
arranged rides for my son to be picked up and brought home. I only met the guy
twice, and he was busy coaching at the time, so I never really got to know him.
He was a quiet manly-man, from what I could tell… and that’s all I knew about
him!
I really wanted to thank him for all of the extra things he’d
done that made it possible for my son to be on the team, but what do you give
to a guy like this? I thought on this for a couple of day, then I knew: My
friend, Bernie, recently opened an Etsy shop and she makes some of the most
interesting and unique cards I’ve seen. A “Thank You” card made by Bernie would
be just right. She also loves doing custom jobs… She’d know exactly what kind
of Personalized Greeting Card to make for this coach!
So, I got in touch with her on Etsy through her shop,
Budugalee, and explained all of the nice things this coach has done (there’s
more – I just don’t want to bore you all to death!) and asked if she’d be
interested in creating a Thank You for him. Oh, she replied right away with
quite a few great ideas!
She asked if I had any photos of the team’s jersey, running
shoes, anything like that. So, I sent some and she worked out a design for me. In
the meantime, I had looked up a few quotes about coaches and cross country and
found the quote on the front of the card. Bernie suggested adding “Thanks for
going the extra mile” inside the card – now, how perfect is THAT?!
Now, if you check out most of the cards that Bernie makes,
they have pretty borders and sparkly paints on them. Mr. Bernie, who acted as
the consultant with a male perspective, suggested she skip those thing – the
recipient was a manly-man, athletic type, after all. I’m glad he did! The card
came out just right. I sent it with my son to the last meet of the season. When
my son turned in his uniform a few days later, he saw the card smack dab in the
middle of the coach’s bulletin board in his office for everyone to see. Now, this
tells me that the guy is quite proud of it – and deservedly so! I think that
Bernie came up with the perfect Thank You card for the situation!
Front |
Inside |
If you are looking for the perfect card for someone special,
you really need to check out Budugalee. Bernie’s card run from the weird to insightful,
witty to serious. She starts with copies of old photos and then uses props,
paint, cardstock… whatever she has, to add the perfect touch and set the mood
of the card. Check out these...
GIVEAWAY!
Do you have someone special who you’d like to give one of
Bernie’s personalized cards to? She’s offering to create the
perfect personalized card for one winner! It will be a process similar to the one I experienced for
the coach’s card. You can send you own photos, include any special sayings or
messages, etc. Just let her know, and then stand back while the brainstorming
begins!
16 comments:
You have no idea how tickled I am that the coach liked it!!
Thank you for hosting the contest!!
I think I would make a personalized card for my co-worker. I'd probably search for some sort of inspirational phrase that would mean a lot to her right now.
I can really think of a lot of people I'd love to give one of these cards to!
jenlcrum@gmail.com
I would give it to my mom. Thanking her for everything.
I would give it to my grandma!
hrfarley at gmail dot com
Christina - xristya@rock.com - I'd like to give one to my husband, to show appreciation for all that he's given me!
I would make one for my mom with my boys picture on it...they're goofballs!
passions0123@yahoo.com
I'd love to send one to my mom with a photo and a heartfelt thank you for everything
Would love a very funny card for my mother in law who is turning the Big 60 in Dec
monacart32 at hotmail dot com
I'd love to get one for my Mom wishing her a Happy Birthday and letting her know she's loved! Thanks!
My friend Dawn. She moved across country and I miss her
For my friend Sarah, who is having a hard time right now.
sunniewoodyplus2 atmsn.com
I would give it to my husband and it would be all lovey dovey
madamerkf at aol dot com
I would give the one wit hte chicken on it to my mother. She loves chickens.
I would get it for my best friend ! She loves getting surprises in the mail since we're on opposite sides of the coast!
I'd put a little haiku to make her smile!
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