Reason why Merry Christmas and a "Fortunate" New Year is ruined

I had the opporunity this weekend to volunteer at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. I played a pivotal role--I ate doughnuts; I got a free t-shirt; I showed girl scouts where to stand with their banners; I told young military cadets where to stand with their flags. I did this all in the pouring rain. It's questionable whether the parade would have been able to function without me...

You may or may not be aware of the fact that Pat Sajak was this year's Grand Marshall. He was in town looking for contestants to join him on Wheel of Fortune, which happens to be "America's Game." So why not have him lead America's Parade? It turned out that the important tasks which I mentioned above were all being performed right next to the official Wheel of Fortune Tour Bus, and despite the fact that I'm not necessarily a "Wheel Watcher", I was still kind of excited by the thought of seeing Pat Sajak in person. My excitement only grew when he got out of the Bus and into the little convertible in which he was to lead the parade. I can't explain why, but all morning I kept thinking, "I can't possibly be this close to Pat Sajak and not get my picture with him." Try as I may, I couldn't banish this though from my mind. I finally gave in, knowing full well that it was completely nerdy and ridiculous, but I ducked down next to him (the window was closed due to the intense rainfall) and took a picture. I was thrilled! I actually had my picture with the real Pat Sajak, and my photographer assured me that Pat was making the perfect cheesy game-show host smile.

Later that morning (once all girl scouts were in place), I decided to check out my newly treasured celebrity pic, and was horrified with what I found. In my moment of glory, my one chance to forever capture my close proximity with a game-show demigogue, I blinked!! How hard is it to keep your eyes open for such an important snap shot? It is tragic to be so close to greatness, and, so to speak, drop the ball. Sadly it's not the first time such a thing has happened.

For some reason, as I've been writing this tragic story of an almost glorious moment, I was reminded of another time in my youth when I "dropped the ball." My mom had been assigned to bring Sister Sarah's Salad to a ward barbeque, and she had entrusted me with the making of it. The lettuce was carefully washed and gently ripped into bite-sized pieces. The swiss cheese was cut and added with care. Frozen peas, mushrooms, bacon, green onions--everything was ready and waiting for it's finishing touch: the salad dressing. I was tripling the recipe (we had a very large ward), and the recipe called for 1/3 cup of miracle whip salad dressing and 1/3 cup mayo. Now here's where I dropped the ball: Instead of adding the tripled amount of 1 cup, I added 3 cups of each. Looking back, it did seem a little odd, but I questioned the recipe rather than my computation skills. I was always a rather confident child. We had to add 3 heads of lettuce and put the whole thing in a strainer to make up for my little mistake.

But I digress...I'm still seriously disappointed by the fact that I blinked! It could have been such a sweet picture. I was thinking of making it this year's Christmas card (I'm also thinking of having a Christmas card this year). It could have said, "Have a Merry Christmas and a 'Fortunate' New Year." Nothing says Happy Holidays like me with Pat Sajak, and now it' has been completely ruined. Anyway, have any of you ever "dropped the ball?" What were the repercussions? (I hope nothing so serious as a ruined ward salad or potential holiday card). Please share some of your almost glorious moments. (If you don't have an account, you may leave comments as "anonymous".)