Decisions, decisions

As the cold winter months are upon us, dunk tank season seems to be an age away. Now that my wife has a job that basically runs events, activities, and education with children, she has a say in whatever goes with VBS and other events. So, the dunk tank at VBS this coming summer, will be a certainty. Looking forward to it (of course!!)

To get in the mood for what will come, it is always fun for us to talk about, think about, and sometimes even try out possible outfits she can wear in the dunk tank. Here are some thoughts for this year:

- Jeans and Black T-shirt - She has this tight, short-sleeve, v-neck black t-shirt that I have wanted to see on her wet since I first saw it. Black is a fantastic color to get wet. It is great at night with the lights shining on the wet cotton. Awesome. She also has a couple of great pairs of full-length jeans she can wear. Perfect colors to get wet. Last year, she wore some jean capris that looked great, but full length jeans have the "drip factor". The bottoms of the jeans drip water like nothing else. I am pretty sure this outfit is a given.

- Black mini-dress and hose - One of my last dreams yet to come true. Short black mini dress with black hose. Can't think of anything sexier. Seeing this at night would be amazing. I doubt we will see this one. 1) She doesn't have that dress. 2) She would be a little self conscious about this one. Not a normal outfit someone would be wearing to just "get talked into" sitting in a dunk tank.

- Capri Yoga Pants and Grey t-shirt - This will be cute. The grey shirt, we saw last year, but it is so good, it deserves an encore. The pants I think will be cute. Actually didn't buy them for her for the dunk tank, but could be good. They will look really good wet.

- Sun dress - Any kind. The drip of a dress is beyond compare. A short dress would be awesome. Even a long dress would be good.

- Black capri sweat pants and red shirt - Saw this at Horsham Day, but still would be a good encore.

- Let's be honest.... any outfit will be awesome.

Can't wait!!!!

VBS

Well, this is way past due.....

We had the dunk tank at VBS and it could not have been better. It was such a hit. J sat up there four different times (including in her clothes on setup day). She got dunked almost 50 times over the course of the three days we had it. She was VERY comfortable with this one in every aspect (except maybe the first time she sat up there.... a little nerve-wracked.) After she got dunked a couple times, it was OK.

Setup day was great because she got dunked in capri jeans and cute, tighter brown v-neck t-shirt. It was AWESOME. She looked great. She would have sat up there longer, but some dorky kid from the neighborhood came by. We let him throw a few and dunk her a couple times, but he was weird. Not like turned on weird, just kind of dorky-weird.

Second and third times were at the carnival wearing a tight grey t-shirt and black swim-skirt. Whoever invented skirts as swimsuits.... I love you. This was great. The comfort of a swim suit, the drip of a wet skirt. This looked awesome and she got dunked by MANY kids.

The last time, she took off the t-shirt. It was the first time EVER out of all the times she has ever been in a dunk tank, the first time she ever sat in one in just a swimsuit. That looked really nice too.

She had a very good time with this one and was very comfortable. Plans are already being made to have a dunk tank at VBS again. I think the kids would be devastated if we didn't have one next year. They had a great time with it.

One of the highlight games was the obstacle course. The kids were divided into two teams. A kid from each team would run through an obstacle course, bat circles, weaving runs, and a balance beam. At the very end, one of the girl counselors was sitting in the dunk tank. The racers would get there, pick up balls and throw. Obviously the fastest person got first shot to dunk her, but the first one that was accurate enough to send her in the water got a point for their team. The young counselor got dunked MANY times.... and skinny girls always get cold.

YES!!! FINALLY!!!!

It is finally happening again. Just reserved a dunk tank for VBS this year. Everyone in on organizing it was very excited about doing it. Even J feels comfortable doing this one. Hopefully she will sit up there often over the three days we have it.

OK, a bit of a confession here... possibly some therapy. I have been in a pissy mood recently because J didn't sit in a dunk tank she was invited to sit in. I unfortunately am also getting the feeling she really does not like sitting in a dunk tank. I mean, I know it's not her favorite thing to do, but she made me feel years ago like she always wanted to sit in one because they looked fun. Then she got in one in Cow-town and it was fine because she was running it and it was a very well built tank.

Three years later, she sat in one of the old model Twister Display Easy Dunkers. She was nervous because it was not a group she was involved with. I just kind of asked the guy if she could sit up there. She was OK with it until she got there when she got nervous. After she got in there, it was fine and with the exception of the seat smacking her in the back on every dunk, it was OK. She got dunked a LOT at this one.

Five years later, she sits in one that was asking for volunteers. I volunteered her, but she was reluctantly agreeable. Hey, they asked for volunteers. Anyway, she got in this one and the water was FREEEEEEEEEEZING cold. She played it up a bit, but was uncomfortable on the seat, freezing cold, shivering.

This one kind of changed everything. After that, the dunk tank wasn't as fun for her. She gives me comments how she'll do it to make me happy, but it's not her thing. She says she doesn't MIND doing it, but doesn't look for it. Well, if she didn't mind doing it, why not get in any one I can finagle? I think the truth is that she really doesn't like it at all. She's just doing this for me.

The problem is I get so obsessed with them that I can't work. I can't focus on anything. I must see her in a dunk tank. Like Percy Grainger oddly showed love by S&M, getting her in a dunk tank is the ultimate "Thing" for me. It's odd. I know. I can't help it.

Not sure what to do. We have this tank for three days. She tells me she'll sit up there the last day at the carnival and maybe on the setup day once or twice. Carnival... yes. Setup day.... come on, at LEAST 10 minutes. Then the Thursday, I think we should utilize it while we have it. She doesn't even want me to video record it very much. I want to remember these moments for years. That's what keeps me sane.

Anyway, we have it. We're doing it. She's getting dunked again. I will be happy. It looks like we may be able to have the dunk tank at VBS every year now too. I guess I should be able to live with that and not be so greedy. Some guys wives don't EVER entertain their little fetish. I guess I should be happy. My problem is that I want very specific actions, and if I don't get those "moments," it's like getting half of a massage.

I know I sound like an ass, but I can't help how I feel. All will work out. She'll get dunked some and I will love it.

School Carnival

School Carnival today. No dunk tank. Would have been a bit cold, but still not even an attempt. Funny, looking at the kids' artwork that they made about the carnival, MANY of them specifically had a dunk tank in their pictures. Kind of shows what the kids want to see.

VBS Video

Not a video.... yet. This is the idea for a kids daily video that has highlights from the day before and a special skit. Here is one for Thursday (but shot on Wednesday night upon the delivery of the dunk tank).

Shot opens with close-up of water in tank filling up and almost full. Pan out to see the hose and Ms. J filling the tank. She is wearing jeans, a black V-neck t-shirt, and flip-flops. M approaches from the right (stage left) crossing in front of the tank, checking it out.

M: Hi J, what are you doing?

J: Hi M! I'm just filling up the dunk tank.

M: The dunk tank? What's that?

J: This is a dunk tank. Haven't you ever seen one before?

M: Nope. Never. What is it?

J: It's a really fun game. I'm sitting in it on Friday at the carnival and the kids are going to have a chance to dunk their counselors today.

M: How do you play it? What's the object of the game?

J: The object of the game is try and make the person sitting up there fall in the water.

M: Huh? How do you get a person up there?

J: Here, let me show you. She slips off her flip-flops and climbs up the ladder of the tank and sits on the seat. I climb up here like this and then sit on this seat. I get to make fun of people and then nervously wait for someone to dunk me in the water.

M: But if you're sitting on the seat, how do you fall in the water?

J: See those balls over there?

M: Picks up a few softballs in a basket. You mean these?

J: Yes. People will throw those balls at this target here. Points to the target.

M: And what happens when they hit the target. As M throws a ball at the target.

J: NO M WAIT!!!!!!!!

The ball hits the target and J gets dunked in the water. M kind of panics a bit, not realizing what would happen.

M: Oh, I guess THAT'S how you fall in the water.

J: Yes, M. That's how it works. AGH! Look at me! I'm soaked!

3 little kids come up to M as J climbs out of the water and sits partially back on the seat.

Kid: Hey mister, can we throw some balls to try and dunk the lady?

M: Well, I don't see why not.... Hey J, can these kids throw some balls? I mean, you are already wet.

J: As she positions herself back on the seat and says reluctantly. I guess so. I might as well. Besides, they're little kids. How good a shot could they be?

Cut to shot of a kid throwing the ball, then a shot of the ball hitting the target, then several shots of J getting dunked from many different angles. Intersperse kids throwing and the target being hit. She gets dunked about 10-15 times.

Next Summer

Well, better luck next summer. There are several possible events next year that my wife could get in a dunk tank. She doesn't mind doing them, and is always a GREAT dunkee. Here are the possibles:

1. School Carnival - if she is teaching or even subbing in a school that has a carnival with a dunk tank, she will gladly volunteer.

2. An area Festival - She has done it in the past and said she would gladly do it again. She said she would have done it this year if we weren't out of town.

3. VBS - Closing carnival and even a day before for game time. If money is an issue, we can rent it.

4. A secluded cabin away - We have been talking about this one for years. Renting a secluded cabin away from anyone and renting a dunk tank and setting it up there away from everyone. She would bring along every outfit that I could imagine in a dunk tank and just have a "Dunking Weekend" where she sits up there almost non-stop and gets dunked in every outfit possible. This could get REAL fun. I'm sure I'd find myself up there a few times too.

5. Son's Birthday Party - Our son has a summer birthday. What better a game at a summer party than a "Dunk Your Mom" game. She's nervous the neighbors would think weird things about it, like, "Why do you have a dunk tank in your back yard?" Uh... it's for a party!! MANY people do this around the country. It's not weird. It's fun.

6. Fan Fest - this one would be fun. The dunk tank there is not a real popular thing (for some reason... it's cheerleaders!! Come on people). Several times, other random people have gotten up there. My wife thought it might be fun to offer to sit up there in an opposing school's t-shirt. A navy blue shirt and grey shorts/pants would look REAL nice wet!!

7. Block Party - It would be easy if the block party was stationed near our house, but since it's down the street, it's kind of hard to ask others to get a dunk tank when they would be paying for the water. We need to shift our way.

So, there are possibilities. We may need to get more daring to get her wet. I would love her to get in several in one summer. That would be awesome!! Hopefully someday soon.

Only tank this summer

Well, this summer proved to be quite uneventful. The few tanks I saw had guys in them, except one. Cheerleaders were running it. A couple guy cheerleaders sat in it with little business. The one girl that sat in the tank was a cute brunette in shorts and a t-shirt. She was dunked several times and had more people throw at her than the guys put together. Isn't this a hint to groups that run dunk tanks?

When it comes to customers, here's how I see it:

- Kids will throw at anyone.

- Girls will only throw at people they know.

- GUYS will throw at ANY girl and only guys they know.

So, the market they need to gun for is the guys who will throw at any girl. If you don't have a guy that everyone knows, putting a girl (that is at least a 6 or hotter) in the dunk tank will be the only way you will make money.