Well, this week is here, and it's a bittersweet one. We had a great time celebrating Devin's 30th birthday with his family on Tuesday, but we also said goodbye to Lisa, Alexis, and Nan, who all retired this week. In between, we had yet another engaging and fun week, completing our service work on Wednesday and spending the day in Yorktown on Thursday. On Friday, we gave Nan a farewell luncheon, and it was great to see her feeling better! We also had a beautiful reception to mark Lisa's retirement on Wednesday evening. And, we continued to get to know Katie as we prepare to begin our next chapter under her leadership next week. This post will mark the end of the blog as written by Lisa, but Katie will continue the tradition so everyone will be in the know for the upcoming week, and have memories to cherish as the Arc of Abilities moves forward, including soon to our new forever home at McLaws Circle! Here's a look at our last week with Lisa, Alexis, and Nan.
Tuesday
Our week began with a visit to the garden where we learned about all kinds of mint with the master gardeners. Led by MG Angela, our discussion included learning that mint has "cousins" such as basil, oregano, and rosemary. We didn't know that! Angela also gave us several varieties of mint to bring back to the center. Thanks for an interesting presentation on the many varieties of mint, Angela, and for the plants, too! They smell so good!
Krafty Karen is so thoughtful each spring as Mother's Day rolls around. Today, she provided spider plants for each of us to have for a Mother's Day gift and we decorated them with pretty stickers! Krafty Karen cut each spider plant "baby" from a large plant at her mother's hair salon, and brought them to us all the way from Gordonsville!
We provided a tasty snack of mini-lemon pies that Karen topped with a fresh sprig of mint! Yum!
We enjoy hearing about what the MGs are growing in their yards each time we see them. The flowers shared today were even more colorful than the ones last time. Spring has definitely sprung at our MGs' yards, and we thank them for sharing lovely bouquets with us!
Here's Carolyn's beautiful journal page documenting today's visit. Thanks for always highlighting our amazing partnership so well, Carolyn!
We were joined by Devin's family who treated us to a scrumptious lunch from Chick fil-A. Everyone was excited to see nuggets and waffle fries, along with lemonade and tasty cupcakes, too. But we were also happy to get to visit with Devin's parents, Scott and Roxanne, and his grandparents, Mary Ann, Sarah, and Mike, who traveled from New Jersey to celebrate Devin. We really enjoy getting to know our Arc of Abilities families! Thank you to Devin's family for a wonderful lunch and for celebrating Dev with us. We appreciate your generosity and friendship!
Happy Birthday, Devin! Welcome to your 30s!! We hope all your wishes come true, too!
Later, Devin read the cards his friends made for him. As usual, the messages were from their hearts, and Devin thanked each friend for their thoughtfulness!
Wednesday
There's something to be said for the satisfaction that comes from having a good routine, and our Service Work Wednesdays provide that for us. Everyone knows to wear their Arc shirts and bring their positivity as we go about representing not only ourselves, but our families and The Arc as well. We're so proud of how our gang represents! (Our newest member Sara was patiently awaiting the arrival of her first Arc shirt order, so she was wearing an Arc 5k shirt to still represent!)
Alexis, Sara, Gail, and Laura taking care of business at the JRES Library with big smiles!
Gail and Erik working with our dedicated volunteer Allison to create the flower arrangements for Commonwealth Senior Living.
Cameron organizing the materials for a Mother's Day project we'll soon be making!
The group that remained at the center today also created this beautiful banner we will use for Nan's farewell luncheon on Friday. 💙💜💚
Our group that served at Grove Christian Outreach today spent part of their time stocking the shelves in the Gathering Place. The skills they have learned working at Pet Supplies Plus transferred here as they made sure to place the products "straight and front-facing." 👏👏
Gail and Thomas stocked cans of water.
Patrick and Alexis stocked a variety of colorful chip bags.
This group also worked with Peggy, Joel, Ursula, and Thom to prepare food distribution bags. Our assembly line added fresh produce today along with the usual canned goods.
Drew was trained to place the filled bags on the pantry shelves, which means he also got a workout as they were heavier than usual today!
Thank you, Ursula and Thom, for the tasty chocolate croissant treat today. They were so good they disappeared before we got a photo! 😋 Working with you, Peggy, and Joel is such a joy for us, and we value your support and friendship very much!
Later today we had a belated lesson for Read a Road Map Day, which was April 5th. From our video we learned that using road maps may be becoming a lost art with the high-tech navigation tools we have today, but having one and knowing how to read it can come in handy when signals are lost!
Our guys had fun reading Virginia road maps. Thomas and Abraham were quick to find Williamsburg before helping Cameron find Staunton, from where he recently moved to return to the 'burg!
This dude with the nice head of hair (aka, Devin) was pointing out Richmond to Tessa, who also has lovely hair! (Sorry, for missing your smile, Devin...the photographer thought she had another pic to choose from!)
Liz was excited to show Patrick and Kevin Leesburg, where she was born.
Sara was excited to show Alexis and Drew Franklin, where her father was born. After the fun of finding all kinds of towns and symbols, we used the maps to answer questions related to traveling around our state, too.
The last part of the lesson involved trying to fold the maps back into their smaller size! Gail was going to ask a friend for help on this task!
Wednesday Evening
A personal note from Lisa:
Thank you all for the retirement celebration on my behalf Wednesday evening. I was so touched by your presence, kind words, all the hugs, the stories, the incredible and generous gifts, and the endless amount of love and support not just for me, but for our Arc of Abilities and The Arc of Greater Williamsburg. I was given way too much credit, but I sincerely appreciate it! I'm grateful to my amazing Arc colleagues - Pam, Carol, Sue, Kellie, Caroline, and Kasey for all the work they put into planning this beautiful event for me. I'm also thankful for Lise Kline who created the slideshow that I will cherish. Many thanks to Mike Steen, our beloved friend from the Watermen's Museum, and his band, Shanty Grass, for providing music. That was a joyful surprise! I know there are others who contributed to making the night special, and I thank them, too. It takes a village, and we have the best. I felt so much love. I hope you feel me sending it right back to each and every one of you!
Working with Carol and Nan to create engaging, productive, and fun experiences day in and day out has been extremely fulfilling in my "encore" career of working with our amazing AoA members. Yes, I came up with most of the ideas (thanks, National Day Calendar), but without Carol and Nan, and our dedicated volunteer, Allison, they could not have come to fruition. They were so good (crucial, even) at helping me get things in place and implemented, and that fed my drive to keep going. The AoA gang is also a huge part of our success. I can't help but feed off of their ideas and enthusiasm for everything we do! In addition, the support of our AoA families is significant, and so very appreciated. Our many and varied community partners are also to be recognized for their part in our success - they are simply amazing. And of course, we wouldn't be where we are without the support and trust of our Arc colleagues, especially Pam and the Arc Board of Directors. They gave us space to spread our wings, and thanks to ALL of us, the Arc of Abilities is soaring. I could not be more proud of this program, or more excited to watch it continue to thrive as Katie comes on board to join with Carol in writing the next chapter. Our day program is special. It's vibrant, yet content, and solid, yet still evolving. I am positive it will continue on its remarkable path, and I don't plan to be a stranger to it!
💖💖💖 Again, my heartfelt thanks to all of you. 💖💖💖
Here are some photos from the evening. One of my retirement plans is having more time to read for pleasure...and that includes going back and reading the blog posts from over the years. As I wrap up my iteration of it with this post, I want to include these pictures and video from a night I'll always cherish. Many thanks to my sister, Mary, for capturing them.
I'll never tire of seeing our gang create beautiful posters and cards for others!
This cake was gorgeous and tasted as great as it looked. Thank you all for the touching sentiment. I'm so honored.
Thank you to my Arc colleagues for this wonderful moment. 💝
My awesome gang! I love them so much!! And what a joy to see Sam and Michelle back in the mix for the evening!
I was caught by surprise when they made this thoughtful presentation. We've done many of them over the years for others, but this one will always be my favorite. Thank you Carol, Nan, and Allison for pulling it together behind my back. I love this!
I also love the memory book! There's just something about a good old-fashioned scrapbook...and the handwritten notes and colorful pictures...our guys are so sincere, and it makes my heart smile!
I was grateful to see Nan feeling better and able to join us tonight. We didn't get to the finish line together at the program the way we expected, but she hasn't missed a beat keeping up every day with our shenanigans through phone calls and FaceTime visits. We missed her at the center these last few weeks. Her farewell luncheon with the gang on Friday will be special. We all love you, Nan!
A big part of the reason for my next chapter is spending time with my beloved Haley, Jordan, and now baby Rhys. Time for field trips with LaLa! Oh, I will also enjoy more time with their parents, Kelly and Scott, too! 😉
Thank you, Family (including Nan, who was in the other room), for your love and support! 💗💗💗
I love this memory book Carol put together with all the special notes from our guys, herself, my mom, and Allison. Thank you for coordinating the creation of it, Carol.
Thursday
For our last outing with Lisa, we spent the day in Yorktown, which is one of our favorite places. It's got great spots for walking, playing games, eating lunch, and of course, learning. It's never too crowded, and when the weather is nice, we enjoy the view, too! It was overcast today, but mild, and a good time was had by all.
We played a historic game of corn hole in the grass by the Victory Monument. It was the Americans (Lisa's van) vs. the British (Carol's van)! Would George Washington and the Continental Army prevail as in 1781, or would Cornwallis and his army get revenge?!
After a bit of walking, it was time to ride the trolley. While we waited, we shared facts about America's history, and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Revolution. When Lisa was a schoolteacher (back in the day), her favorite subject was Virginia history, and she hasn't let us forget it...😂
Oh, Lisa...another picture?! It's lunch time, but we'll humor you!
Friday
Today was all about celebrating Nan, and saying "so long for now" to her, Lisa, and Alexis. It's not goodbye...we'll see them around!
We spent all morning putting the finishing touches on our decorations for Nan's party, along with some movement and more time getting to know Katie, who spent the day with us. (Much of it behind the camera!) By 11:30, we were ready to celebrate!
We had Nan's favorite song playing as she arrived, and we even used it as a theme for her background board! Lexi and Lisa moved to the side so Nan could stand beside her guy, Rod Stewart!
It was special to have Pam join us. She stays so busy advocating for The Arc, that we don't see her often enough. We're looking forward to that changing once we move into our forever home and she'll be just down the hall! (That is, when she's not out being a superstar advocate.) Thank you, Pam, for all you do for The Arc. We appreciate you!
What a tasty spread! It was our first time ordering from Anna's Pizza, and we were impressed. The baked ziti, fresh salad, and garlic rolls really hit the spot! Thank you Allison for not only celebrating and working with us today, but for picking up this wonderful lunch!
Note: We apologize to Katie, for not getting a special photo with her and the gang. Lisa intended to, but it got overlooked in the throes of our excitement. Katie spent the entire day with us jumping right in and working with Lisa and Carol as if she's been here forever...and we're so happy to have her join us officially starting Tuesday! You can spot her near the end of Nan's presentation video. 😉
After lunch we honored Nan with a presentation to express what she has meant to us all these years. Nice job, Alexis, Kate, and Devin!
We also recognized Alexis, who is leaving us to spend more time with family (especially Haley, Jordan, and new baby Rhys), pursue volunteer opportunities, and travel with her mom! We wrote heartfelt cards for her and gave her a framed collage of some of our favorite AoA photos. Carol put together a beautiful memory book for Nan that is filled with photos, too. 💕💕💕
We couldn't send Nan off without one more game of Jeopardy, which is her favorite!
We know she enjoyed the game, especially some of the things we learned, like lobsters have 10 legs and M&M's were introduced during WWII! She also enjoyed seeing Tracy, Katrina, and Kevin's mom, Debbie, who stopped by for part of the celebration! Can you spot them in this photo?! (If you're really sharp, you can spot Katie, too!)
We all enjoyed seeing Nan's sweet family stop by to wish her a Happy Retirement! They have some fun plans in store for her, now that she'll have extra time!
As we wound up the party, we also wound up our week. And, Lisa wound up her version of the Arc of Abilities blog. It's been her "work of heart" for almost 10 years, and she's proud of the memories it holds for all of us. Katie will continue the blog, but give her time to figure it out, and also get settled in as our new instructor. It will be worth the wait! Thanks, Katie...for continuing the documentation of our memories. We can't wait to make amazing ones with you!
Here's what's up for next week, as we welcome Katie and the month of May!
Tuesday: It's the first Tuesday of May so we're headed for bowling today BUT no pizza for lunch! We will return to AFCC and have leftover baked ziti (including gluten and dairy free servings) with fruit and fresh veggies instead. Friday's luncheon for Nan was delicious so we saved the leftovers for today! We'll have Choice Time, read aloud, and we may have a lesson for Cinco de Mayo, too.
Wednesday: Please wear Arc shirts for Service Work Wednesday. We'll work in the JRES library, go to Grove, and make flower arrangements for CSL. We'll also update the calendar for May and celebrate National Beverage Day! Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is serving Rib B Que Sandwich or Spaghetti with Meatballs!
Thursday: We'll slow things down a little (and give Katie and Carol a breather) today as we prepare our Mother's Day gifts and have a lesson about the holiday. We'll watch a movie after lunch. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is serving Domino's Pizza or Deli Sub.
Friday: We'll wrap up the week with an Eaton work day, so please wear Eaton shirts and bring a bagged lunch. If it's nice weather, we'll head to the park for lunch and a walk. We'll return to AFCC after for Choice Time, and end the week with either yoga or a game of corn hole.
Have a great weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
