The Day OLA Came To Town
July 9th, 2010. Kingman, Arizona. Dead Noon and it’s 110 degrees in the shade. I’m on the phone with one of my best friends. My husband had a meeting at work and called to say he was on his way home. I know that’s what the call is for, so I don’t even switch over to answer it and continue talking to my friend, drinking coffee and poking around my computer.
My cell phone rings and I look at the caller ID and it’s my husband. “Hold on” I say to my friend. “That’s my husband calling and he wouldn’t call my cell phone if it wasn’t something important.”
So with my friend on one line, I answer my cell phone and my whole day changed immediately.
“Guess what I’m looking at?” my husband asks. Before I can answer, he says “I’m looking at a red truck pulling a black trailer and the trailer says OnlineAuction.com on it!”
“No way! Can you see who is in the truck?”
My husband says “Oregon plates… it’s gotta be… It is! Chris Fain is driving the truck!”
“Paul, which way is he headed? Up the hill?”
“Yes! He’s headed the same way I am.”
All I can think of at this moment is that OnlineAuction.com’s Founder and CEO, Chris Fain, is headed to Kingman… OMG!!! I hang up on my husband without so much as a Good Bye and start hollering at my kids… “Someone grab a vacuum! Someone get this laundry out of here!” I wake up my entire household (even the ones who work at night) and everyone is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. I try to calmly explain that Chris Fain is coming up the hill when my cell phone rings again…
“Did you hang up on me?” Oh Damn! Maybe I should’ve said Good Bye before hanging up on my husband… and before I can apologize…
“Look, I flagged them down and they pulled over. They’re driving through Kingman and are going to stop and see you. You need to call (gives me the number) and give them directions. See if they have time for lunch…” and yes, once again, I hang up… at least this time I said Good Bye… Don't it just figure that my husband would meet Chris before I would???
The house phone rings and it’s Valerie, Chris’s wife. She gives me the size of the trailer so that I know what kind of place to give him directions to… OMG!!! I can barely stand it!!! He’s really going to be here in Kingman!!!
I call the number and talk to Chris. No, they don’t have time for lunch, but they do want to stop and meet me. I give him directions to a nice large parking lot right on Route 66 in front of a local JB’s Restaurant and Sonic Drive In. I tell him we’ll be there when he pulls off the freeway.
I send half my household back to bed, take a deep breath and almost begin to relax… OMG!!! I wonder if my tie dye dress is too casual? My hair? Can I lose 25 lbs in the next half hour? OMG!!! My youngest son tells me my dress is fine. It is, after all, who and what I am. OK, so I look huge in it, but it is 110 outside and it’s not like I’m taking them to lunch at a fancy restaurant, so my dress will be just fine. I throw a headband on and ignore the fact that I'm a very tall oompa loompa... I figure they’ve been driving for a while, what the hell will they care what I look like?!!??!
My husband arrives home and runs to change his clothes (he’s in a suit from his meeting at work) and out he comes, I throw him my keys, grab my OLA Banner and we’re off!
We pull in where Chris will be meeting us and stare at the freeway off ramp. 5 minutes… 8 minutes… OMG! Did I give him the wrong directions? My husband suggests I call him to make sure I’ve given him the correct directions, but wouldn’t you know it? I didn’t bring the phone number! Crap!!!
… and then my husband points and says “I think that’s them”. Sitting on the off ramp, getting ready to turn onto Route 66 is a red truck and what looks like a black trailer hidden behind some trees… as it turns onto the street, there is no doubt that it’s the OLA trailer! Lights! Camera! Camera??? Camera! Action!
Here are some photos of when OLA came to town!
L-R: James, Me, Chris Fain, John
L-R: MetzyMom in the Pink OLA Hat, Chris Fain in the Black OLA Shirt, and my husband, Paul, in the Blue OLA Hat.
