Walk this Way

My family and church are sponsoring a team in the annual Relay for Life next weekend. For those not familiar, it's the fundraiser for cancer research. Our team is in honor of my younger brother, who is a cancer survivor. However, chances of him actually showing up for the walk are slim since he wants nothing to do with us most of the time. Last year, he and I were given the 3-5 a.m. walking shifts. The thinking was that he and I stay up late most of the time so it should be no problem for us. However, the parents failed to take into account that it was during our finals so altering our sleep schedules was not exactly the best idea.

This year, they've decided we need a theme for our team. Last year we won the award for the most money raised, but we looked disorganized compared to the othe groups who brought tents, matching outfits, etc. I still think we should pride ourselves on being the only team to have a walker walking during the entire 24 hours while every other team gave up early to focus on sychronized dancing and such. But they're insisting on a theme.

They decided they wanted to do a Mexican atmosphere with chili peppers, Mexian hats and blankets, and "fake" margaritas. I walked in while they were discussing this, and they had came up with a team name "Hot Mamas." I expressed my veto for this idea, to no avail. I don't really have much pull in this area. It was only after I asked them to think of my brother in all this that they reconsidered. I told them to picture him walking up to the registration table to get his survivor t-shirt.

T-shirt lady: Hi, what team are you with?
Brother: Uh....I'm a 'Hot Mama'.
T-shirt lady: Wait, I'm sorry, what did you say?
Brother: I'm a 'Hot Mama'.

So the "Hot Mamas" were abandoned. I think they settled on the "Hot Tamales." The name still sucks, but at least I don't feel like a 65 yr old grandma wanting to relive my youth.