first job

I'm sitting here trying to think back to my very first job.  I'm sure it was probably babysitting.  There were other "winner" jobs I had growing up, like cleaning the guy's house across the street who was single (I still remember what a mess that place was!), being a pooper-scooper at Raging Waters in California one summer, and being one of those demonstrators at Sam's Club in Ca. another summer (but they were the BEST cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing to die for, so it wasn't too bad).  At least I was making more than $2.75 an hour scooping ice cream at Baskin Robins, which is what my best friend made when she worked there in high school.  Ok, enough of the nostalgia.

We were in California earlier this month, and we had taken the trailer down with us to haul a table for my brother.  We had to bring the trailer back home, so we decided to fill it with fresh picked oranges from a neighbor near my parents, who has an orange orchard in the back of their house.  Since there is no possible way to eat so many oranges ourselves, we decided the boys could help in the process and earn some money while they were at it.  Their very first job.  

They were amazing all along in the process.  We all spent an afternoon picking the oranges,  

and then Ben and Jake (Will had a hard time getting into this project) came back and started selling them.  First we washed every single orange, Ben made a flyer to put on people's doors with times they would be out selling them, and then they went around the neighborhood to pass out the flyers and sell a few while they were at it.  

These guys were pretty ambitious, and kept with it...most of the time.   Olivia and Janae were Jake's second customers at the orange stand set up in our driveway--I missed getting a picture of his first customer, Sharon, and her cute little granddaughters.  

The weather didn't really cooperate with the boys and their orange stand.  Between the rain, wind, and just plain freezing cold, they had it all that week they were selling, and spent lots of time in the garage, reading Calvin and Hobbes.  

It's funny when things come full-circle.  This orange crate belonged to my grandpa who, way back in the day, used to work for an orange company in California.  Funny how it all comes around. 

In the end, they learned a lot about working, and made some money while they were at it.  I am very proud of them for enduring all that they did, even for just a few dollars on some days.  Their motivation for earning money--Legos, what else?!  They are saving up for the Death Star.  However, Ben and Jake did take some of their "orange money" to spend at the bake sale they had at school to help those in Japan who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami, and they didn't even blink about it.  Good for them.