Earlier this month, we had ourselves a little lemonade stand. The idea had been brewing for a couple years now, ever since I stumbled upon the sweetest little aisle of lemonade cups and accessories at Target and stashed them away in the basement until the proper time. And then sitting at swimming lessons a few weeks ago (because all the good thoughts come to me while I'm daydreaming from a beach chair in the sun), I had the idea to turn our little lemonade stand idea into a birthday present for our twin nieces who were turning six the next weekend. So I sent Beau a quick text to see if he could help me whip up a couple stands before the weekend. It went something like this:
Me: "Can we build a couple super easy lemonade stands before we leave for Hampton Saturday?"
Beau: "Send me a pic of what you want, but that sounds fun!"
And this is one of the many many reasons I love that man I married. He's game for most anything, especially if it involves some problem-solving, creativity, and a healthy dose of sawdust. And 24 hours later, we had two of the cutest lemonade stands whipped up in the garage...
Look at those sales faces!
What a special memory it was surprising these sweet girls with their gift! We had it hidden in the back of the truck and I gave them a gift bag with a pitcher, some lemonade mix, cups, straws, and some daisies. And they, as well as all the party attendees under the age of ten immediately started mixing lemonade and pitching the party attendees over the age of ten. ;) It was totally adorable and we loved hearing that Liv and Adi were out bright and early the next morning selling bottled water to the lake joggers!
Now that the stage was set and the anticipation built, I took the kids to Panera for breakfast the following Monday and we set up a business plan. They decided how much to charge, what we should make, and how much change we should get from the bank. Then that afternoon, we baked cookies, made some posters, and planned out our sales strategies. Or I guess I should say they made posters and then went to play with the neighbors while I baked four dozen cookies...
We couldn't have asked for a better day for our little lemonade stand. The city was in the process of redoing all the sidewalks in our neighborhood, so Beau had the idea to take our business plan to his office in Waterloo. We weren't sure at first how the location would pan out, but we rarely had time to rest and the kids hung out there for almost four hours! Dad fed us tacos from the tailgate, his staff and co-workers came for multiple trips for afternoon snacks, and we were blessed by the goodness of humans all day long.
Ready to serve!
So many friends came to show their love through a glass of lemonade, their kids excitedly grabbing a sign and taking part in the party. My colleague Megan, a math professor at UNI, came to buy cupcakes and ended up teaching Cruz to count change, only to hand it back to him as a tip in return. Lucy, Katie, Jenny, and Erin made special trips on their lunch breaks. And Crazy Uncle Phil handed the kids a hundred pennies and a few paper clips and asked for some change in return. We definitely felt the love from our village of friends and decided that hosting a lemonade stand was a pretty great strategy for getting to hang out with so many people we sure love to be around!
But equally as special were all the people we didn't know. Officer Hesse was one of our very first customers, and he ate his cookie and sipped his lemonade right there with us before making an announcement on his radio to tell his fellow officers about "the best lemonade in town." He was soon followed by so many stories and people that made me smile. Waste management workers, mail carriers, bus drivers who stopped their bus in the middle of the road all took time to stop and make our kids smile. People who drove by, only to return after stopping at the gas station for cash. Teenagers who seemed to be the most unlikely of customers, but surprised me with their thoughtfulness and kindness to our kids. An older couple that walked over after their insurance appointment, bought a couple cookies and stood out there and savored every bite, eyes closed and satisfied whispers of "mmmm mmmm mmmm" from their lips. So many people who said they simply never pass by a lemonade stand without a stop.
The kids learned so many good lessons that day. Cruz practiced more math than he has all summer, and Mila learned how much fun it is to serve up some joy in a simple paper straw. But I was reminded in the simple truth that there's joy in just showing up. There were many cars that stopped, but far more than sped past, too busy or distracted on their phone to see past their day or the distraction in front of them. I don't want to miss out on good moments to step into something that might just make my day a little sweeter, or more importantly, someone else's day a little brighter.
We closed up shop that day with not a single cookie left, goals crushed, and hearts overflowing with the goodness of humans. And my husband, who hardly worked that afternoon and likely had more fun than any of us. Oh, and the spiked lemonade we had from the tailgate of the truck when all was said and done. Starting your own business is exhausting!
But only one of us was caught drinking on the job... ;)
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