One of our favorite restaurants is a sports bar called Summits. We started going there during football season a year ago because we could watch all the games at once. But… truthfully, they have amazing food, (lots of it) and hundreds of different beers. So, technically, it’s a beer pub that doubles as a sports bar. And, with a donation to Habitat for Humanity (one of our favorite charities) you can join a beer club to earn a mug. Since Tom loves a challenge and a good cause, he signed up!
When he joined, he was given a passport with a list of all the different beers that they serve (600+, it seems). You had to try 100 different beers to earn a 20 ounce mug with your name on it. He made it his personal goal to earn a mug. So, every time we went to Summits, he tried a different beer, or two, or three. I became the designated driver, so that he could enjoy his challenge. In the beginning, we went about once a week to watch football. But, soon the challenge consumed him! And getting to the 100 mark became a real challenge.
The problem with a goal like this is that I’m not a good one to say NO to eating out. Let’s face it, my favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations. So, it’s really easy for me to say “Hey, let’s go to Summits” in order to dodge having to come up with an idea for dinner. And, since Tom was working on his list of beers, he never said no! Hmmm… maybe I should get him to sign up for a margarita challenge so that we can have Mexican once a week.
This beer club is one of the best marketing schemes I have ever seen. You give a man a challenge… ‘drink 100 beers and we will give you a $10 mug’… and they can’t resist. There is no thought to the fact that most of those beers cost $6-$9, and that you can’t drink a beer without getting food, and you usually take someone with you, so the bill just goes up. So… we made a weekly trip or two to Summits, spending roughly $50 for each trip… Hmmm… you do the math… Yes, we could have bought the mug ourselves for $10 and used the money to pay for college, but dang it, we had a 20 oz mug to win! Besides, being responsible adults is overrated, anyway! Right?
Well , one year and about $4000-$5000 later, he earned his mug! And, he got to have it engraved! Woo Hoo! I am so proud ! We sat around the table trying to figure out what he should have written on it. Of course, he just wanted his name on it. But, no… we wouldn’t go for that. That would be boring, and we’re just NOT boring! We wanted it to say something meaningful. I suggested “the Tomonator” and then on the back it should say “I’ll be back!”… hahaha…. But..the girls decided that it would not be appropriate to have anything on there other than their favorite name for their dad - “Tommy Appleseed”… One of Britt’s old boyfriends started calling him that years ago, and it just stuck. We laughed so much trying to sum up DAD in 10 words or less… I mean, this is a prestigious award and all… Then Britt nailed it…
Wait for it….
Wait for it…
Tom is now the proud owner of a mug that says… ‘Tommy Appleseed’ on the front…. And when you turn it around, it says “Bad to the core”! Hahaha
Good time, laughs, achieving an goal, and your name etched in print for posterity... It just doesn’t get any better than that!
No comments:
Post a Comment