Garringer 1 LeeAnna Garringer Mr. Neuburger Eng.

Com 101 - 137 8 September 2011 Narrative Essay Beer:30 at Church I never know what is headed my way because I am a live life day to day type of person. Every time I plan something my plans never go as planned. Going with the flow of things tends to be a lot better, especially when Im with my family. My parents always drag me along for the crazy missions they are a part of, since Mom and Dad are lions of the Miller Lions Club. The Lions Club contributes to many wonderful causes, such as Leader Dog and scholarships every year. The Miller Lions Club tries to think of new things they can do to make the community a better place for people. Most ideas are great, but there are a few that need some work. One of the recent missions the club has taken part in is the thought of the club having their own personal kegerater, which was the lovely idea from a recently new lion, Dave Garringer, also known as my father. My dad can get anyone to do anything and side with him. This is probably the reason why the Lions Club is looking into the purchase of a kegerater. Dad has the power of brainwashing people into his same thought process. Before I knew it, Daddy Dave was on the search for a kegerater. He looked on the internet and made several phone calls to get a general price. Who better to ask than his 18-yearold daughter to help him? As I found myself at the Lions Club looking online for a kegerater, Ronny Baldwin, a member of the Lions Club, came up to my dad and me with information.

Garringer 2 Hey Dave, I have some news on a kegerater in Springfield, said Ronny. Oh really? How much? Dad asked. Well, that I dont know. Its gonna be sold at a silent auction. Oh, wow! Thats cool! Wheres the auction being held? St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Its where my daughter goes. A CHURCH?! I asked surprised. Catholics do drink, Dad said as he was laughing. Its a fundraiser for the church, Ronny said as he handed my dad a flyer listing all of the events the church had scheduled for the fundraiser. After a few days had passed from the day of talking to Ronny, it was officially scheduled for the Garringer family to have a family outing of togetherness at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church to win our kegerater. The first day of the silent auction soon came around and Mom, my little sister, Mena, who is 11 and I met Dad in Springfield at the church. The four of us walked around the silent auction scoping out the scene. When we walked through the door, there it was without a single bid on it. With a quick look at it, Dad picked up the pen and placed the first bid of 25 dollars on it. After looking at all of the other items for sale we left to get a bite to eat. Dad and Mena went home in the truck, while Mom and I stayed in Springfield to do some birthday shopping for Mena. Once our birthday shopping was completed we decided to make a quick trip over to the church to see how our bid was holding up. As Mom and I hustled through the church, I turned to her and said, Is it just me? But going to church for a kegerater seems a little wrong? Mom stopped dead in her tracks, bursting out laughing. When her giggles were calmed down, she said

Garringer 3 Yeah! Seems very wrong, but look where were at for a second time today. I couldnt help myself. The laughs exploded out of me. Finally, we reached the room where the silent auction was being held and without hesitation we walked straight over to the kegerater. The bid was up to $150. We raised the stakes to $175. The new bid had been marked so we thought why not see what was happening outside. There was a huge tent filled with people dancing. Mom and I wanted to check the tent out so we got in line. When we made it to the front of the line a woman asked if I was 21 since the church was serving beer. As I told the woman I was 18, she wrote an M on my hand for minor. After she marked my hand, I started talking to her about the event and during the time she was talking to me she took my moms hand and looked at her and wrote an M on her. My minor mother was very pleased with herself as the two of us walked around together as minors. Just as we were headed for the car, a little five or six year old girl walked past us and said, I want that refrigerator. Without a moment to spare Mom and I burst out laughing. We made our way back to the car since it had been a long and tiring day. Shopping for kegeraters can really wear a person out. As I got into the car I asked with a doubtful tone, knowing there was no way that what we were doing was morally right, What are we doing? Without a moment of hesitation, Mom quickly responded with, Were going to hell. Not really thinking about it, we laughed. Just knowing that we had a mission to win a kegerater at a church was hilarious to us. Things like this do not happen every day. The next day we were right back where we started, in a Catholic church in search of a kegerater, only this time Ronny and his wife were with us, too. The bid had almost tripled in price. It was at $500, but what seemed weird was there were no bids in between our 175 and 500. We could not understand why someone would go from $175 to $500. It jumped out at me like a neon sign flashing before my eyes. It was a sign from God telling us we did not need this

Garringer 4 refrigerator with a built-in tap. Temptation was calling our name and we were dumb enough to react to it. It is funny how God works in life. God works in mysterious ways, which is probably part of the reason life is so mysterious. When people say that temptation is lurking everywhere, that is no lie. When people say temptation is everywhere, they think everywhere but church. How on Earth could temptation be lurking around church? If there is a kegerater at a church auction and there is more than willingness for it to be purchased, that is a sure-fire sign that God is testing you. Church is a place of worship, not drinking. It took me a while to realize we were at church for the wrong reason. It is amazing how life works. It is even more amazing how God works. If someone would have told me that someday I would be looking for a kegerater at a church I would have thought they were crazy. Surprises are the little things that make up everyday life. No matter how big or small the surprise is, it creates mystery. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.