Magic Wheels Fundraiser

If you are a fan of this blog, you know that our family is a huge supporter of fundraisers, especially if they are for a great cause. When the Barkley Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) hosted a fundraiser at our local roller rink, Magic Wheels Fun Center, you could absolutely bet that we were going to show our support. I mean, who in their right mind is going to turn down old-school roller skating, supporting your daughters’ school, AND seeing tough Army coworkers fall flat on their face while trying to skate? Well, should be no one, because as always, we had a blast at this event while supporting an amazing cause.

Since it has been getting colder out on the Kentucky / Tennessee border, the girls have rightfully been opting out of our usually outdoor activities, such as going to the playground, using the backyard trampoline, and neighborhood water fights. Since these are all free activities, it just means that costly indoor fun outside of the home comes a more little sporadically than the girls would prefer. One of our go-to places though is the roller skating rink, now that the girls are starting to get the hang of it (and it does not hurt that they know their Dad can seriously skate). Since we missed the last Barkley PTO fundraiser at Chick-fil-A (the girls do not trust signs with chickens on them, which is why they never let me go to Zaxby’s), this was a great opportunity to get out of the house and have a good time.

As per the norm, we got dressed up in our shirts to show school spirit, which is actually the first time that we have all worn our new Barkley Elementary t-shirts together. And as you would have guessed it, as soon as we got there, we ran into my First Sergeant and another coworker, both who had to take a few verbal jabs at our outfits while being too scared to set skate onto the rink themselves; if that was meant to mock or intimidate me, better try again, Guys, because my dignity and shame both left sometime around 2013.

After paying for the time and our skate rentals, the girls and I laced them up and headed onto the rink. And they are getting good. Gabriella no longer needs much supervision on the rink and, for the most part, stays away from the walls and can dodge other skaters. Elaina is still getting the hang of it though, so she prefers that I skate with her, sometimes pulling her along to get her use to the higher speed. But both are light years ahead of where they were initially, clinging to the walls and begging for a skating aid.

When it came time for the races, Gabriella immediately joined for her age group. She did amazing, even though she did not win, and Elaina and I were both very proud of her. The girls also pressured me to join the race for my age group (ten-year olds and higher), as I would do almost anything to make them smile or give them a laugh (this probably hit both marks). They were really surprised when their “Old Man Dad” took first place, especially after I almost got tripped by some kid (Elaina asked me multiple times if she could confront him about it… “Hey, you tried to trip my Dad!”… calm down, Honey; it is just a silly race). The girls also wanted me to participate in the Wheelbarrow race with one of them, but unfortunately, I had already taken my skates off. I will be better prepared next time.

At the end of the night, an evening filled with skating, French fries, school spirit, friends, and even ice cream made it a great time for all. Throughout dessert, the girls kept talking about how much fun they had and how they cannot wait to go back to Magic Wheels or to the next fundraiser Barkley PTO has planned. We love supporting events like this, especially for local small businesses, and will keep doing so as long as they are offered and advertised. If anyone at the PTO is reading this and Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Joelle’s Bakery, D&D Blacklight Mini Golf, or Coldstone Creamery are on the list, we are so in! Keep them coming and the Calkins Family will be there to support!

Thanks for checking in on us.

Cheers!