Poppin' parties, fun findings and hilarious happenings

Lately at work, there have been quite a few little pops of light that remind me why I love my job so much. On a regular basis, I play hostess to birthday parties for very little ones, middle little ones, and big little ones (this translates to average ages between 4 and 12). Pizza, pottery, cake, balloons, streamers, candles, and presents... just the way I like to spend my work days! Yesterday there was a small party of five girls ages 10 and 11, and they were so sassy and silly and prissy, and they welcomed me with open arms into their conversations and vogue-style pictures. Oh, these kids and their hats, pleated denim skirts, leggings, ballet flats, and feminine menswear vests. We were never so stylish when I was that age! Bold horizontal stripes are luckily a thing of the past. The Twilight DVD was the theme conversation of the two-hour ordeal.

Pottery painted during a birthday party:

Just a few days ago, as I was unloading a kiln of pottery from the day before, I came upon a small box that a man had painted. It was a box shaped like a treasure chest. Inside the lid of the box, the man painted, "Marry Me?" Oh, how sweet! I wish him all the best. Sadly, I left the studio and got all the way home before I remembered to take a picture, and by the time I was back at work the next day, he had already come by to pick it up.

And then there was last night. When working at a pottery shop, it becomes a semi-regular experience to hear a brand new, unpainted piece of pottery fall from a child's hand, or get knocked off a tabletop, or fall off balance from the shelf. Well, last night a t-rex dinosaur's movement-sensitive eyes spotted the movements of a young boy. His attempt at making a hasty attack resulted in an unfortunate fall from many stories (shelves) up, and he needed an immediate amputation of his left leg from the knee down. Poor guy! The surgical team (my comrade Nicole and I) were able to save the dino's life and give him a new life purpose - he is now a one-legged pirate dino, complete with a parrot on one shoulder, an eyepatch, and wooden leg. Needless to say, we had a tiny bit of time on our hands, and the little boy's heart wasn't nearly as broken in the end. Yaaaargh, mayteee!


Why do you love your job?