Saturday, June 24, 2017

Dog Day of Summer!

We're going to revisit last week at the Arc of Abilities in reverse on this update!  After an unusually uneventful week for us, we arrived at the AFCC on Friday to find we had no air conditioning.  But as you will see, a "Dog Day of Summer" didn't put a damper on our day!

We were prepared to be in a quiet building on Friday as the school staff has Fridays off so it would just be us and Soup.  It should have been a clue when Lisa and Carol arrived and saw Soup heading out to the parking lot without his usual big smiling face...he was coming to tell us there was no air conditioning in the Rec Center side of the building.  We immediately felt like this:  ðŸ˜³, and contemplated trying to put together an early dismissal plan.  However, we realized that would have taken a lot of coordination with all of the various methods of transportation and car pool situations our families have in place.  So, Soup brought in a couple of big fans and told us we could move to the cafeteria if necessary...and we were good to go!  We had Pink Day to celebrate!


Considering that the heat index forecast for Friday was over 100 degrees, we were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the big room was with the fans running and the lights out.  That was good news since we needed access to the television/internet as well as lots of supplies to get a few things done...like making pink lemonade from scratch!  Moving everything we needed for the day to the cafeteria would have been a little inconvenient.

We decided it might be best not to do our usual dance warm up, so we will make up for that next week!  Instead, we also "celebrated" Take Your Dog to Work Day by watching a few dog-related video clips throughout the morning.  In this one, the dogs are playing while a parody of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" plays...and Josie, Meghan, and Sam couldn't resist getting up to dance anyway!


Next, it was time to get our pink lemonade made and in the fridge, so we needed some muscle to roll the lemons to release the juice! (See Sam in the foreground?  He's Exhibit A that it wasn't too hot in there as he is still wearing his fleece jacket!)


Yo, Drew!  Real men wear pink and put the muscle to the metal!


After releasing the juices, we needed to use the juicers to hand-squeeze the lemons, and that definitely called for some background music.  Beatles, anyone?


We added cranberry juice to give our lemonade its pink color, and how did it turn out?  Just ask the gang!



When we checked the National Day Calendar on Friday, we found out that June 23 is also a day to recognize the importance of being well-hydrated as it was National Hydration Day.  That was timely!  We gathered a few of our friends and their water to show that around the AoA, we always keep hydration awareness at the forefront!  Isn't all that pink just adorable?!


And what would Pink Day be without a bowl of pink grapefruit?  Here's Chloe enjoying some...she was one of only a few who would try it! 😔


After lunch down the hall in our "lunchroom," where it was still rather pleasant, we returned to the big room and realized it had really warmed up and was getting muggy.  So around 1:00 we packed up a minimum amount of supplies and headed to the cafeteria where we made some thank you notes and watched another cute dog movie.  


It's always fun when Patti from the Moose drops by!  She even dressed in her best pink for the occasion!  She came to volunteer, and also give us the details for the upcoming cookout/fundraiser on Sunday, July 2nd.  The location is behind the Moose Lodge on Richmond Road (which is directly behind Carolina Furniture near the intersection of Richmond and Airport Roads).  There will be hamburgers and hot dogs, live music, games, a Corn Hole Tourney, and lots of fun visiting with our friends from the Moose Lodge.  The cost is $10 per adult, but our associates are guests of honor and get in free!  All proceeds will go directly to our AoA day support program!  If you're in town, please join us between 12-4 on July 2nd!


Meanwhile, earlier in the week we found ourselves writing another letter to our soldier pen pal, Spencer, who is still deployed to Kandahar.  Here, Bo and Chloe respond to Spencer's letters to them and answer some of the questions he asked about their lives.


Here's an excerpt from Kacie's letter...Go Army!


We also marked Onion Rings Day on Thursday by having a taste test between Nathan's and Red Robin brands.  We baked them in our toaster oven and in the end, Red Robin won the most votes because they were the crunchiest!


Here we are moving to a workout video...is this move called the "Windshield Wiper?" 


This is the current state of the gym floor, which is being redone over the next couple of weeks.  We hope the workers stay on schedule because we were looking forward to extra access to this area for the summer!


Michael surprised us at Tai Chi on Wednesday by telling us we were going to use two balls instead of one!  He's slowly guiding us toward a routine and using the balls helps us make broader movements with our arms, and gives us something more specific to follow with our eyes.



Surprises are fun!  Chloe had visited Washington, DC last week and she brought everyone a goodie bag!  We appreciate Chloe and her family's thoughtfulness!


A walk through the garden revealed beautiful blooms and we spotted the Virginia state insect, the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly!  



These friends made whipped cream from scratch so we could celebrate Peaches and Cream Day.


The peaches were good, but the roast beef sandwiches we were treated to by Kate and the Thompson family were a HUGE hit!  It had been a long time since we heard so many "oohs and ahhs" during lunch time!  We thank the Thompsons for this treat...it was delicious!


It was a slow week for vocational tasks, but there was a small amount of Eaton work to complete.  Here, our dedicated crew works on photocell plate production!  WOW!



Tuesday was all about the camaraderie at bowling.  It's great to see the socialization and peer support that takes place during this outing!  

Josie wasn't excited that the ball veered to the left, but Patrick reminded her that she could "try again."


Meghan is working hard on her hand position and it paid off with a couple of spares and a strike last week.  Laura congratulates her!


Chloe continues to encourage Xavier to swing his arm before dropping the ball.  A work in progress!


Kevin bowled without the rack...Sam was very proud of him!


That wraps up the week of June 20th.  Here's what's up next:

Tuesday:  We head to Paint on Pottery for a creative outing sponsored by the Klines.  Thank you to them!  Can't wait to see what we come up with!  Afterward, we will have lunch at Cookout restaurant.  Please bring $10 (or debit card) for lunch! It's also Sunglasses Day, so bring a pair...the weather is forecast to be gorgeous and cooler so we just might stop for a walk on the way back to AFCC!

Wednesday:  It's Paul Bunyan Day, so we will enjoy some tall tales...and probably come up with some of our own!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  It's Bomb Pop Day!  We will prepare a lunch of baked potatoes and enjoy Bomb Pops for dessert!

Friday:  It's Meteor Watch Day so we will study space and try making Planet Pops (aka, cake pops)!  Lunch on your own.

Here are some upcoming events...always optional...but we love to see you!  Our families support us in SO many ways.  We really can't thank you enough!

Sunday, July 2:  12-4 p.m. Women of the Moose sponsored cookout/fundraiser; proceeds benefit Arc's Day Support Program!

Tuesday, July 4: The AoA will be closed for the holiday!

Fridays - July 7, August 4, September 1, October 6: Jamestown Jams Concert Series at Jamestown Beach Event Park.  Free admission.  Proceeds from beer sales benefit The Arc of Greater Williamsburg!

Friday/Saturday, July 28-29:  The Arc of GW is sponsoring a resource seminar that includes dinner on Friday evening and opportunities on Saturday for families to meet individually with experts on planning for our loved ones' future needs.  More info coming soon from The Arc...

Saturday, October 7: The Arc's 8th annual 5K at Williamsburg Landing!  Registration open online and sponsorships being sought!  More info at The Arc of Greater Williamsburg .

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa, Carol, and Nan


Saturday, June 17, 2017

Flipping Out

Who knew playing games with flip flops could be so much fun?  It was one of the highlights of another great week at the Arc of Abilities...

We began the week on Tuesday at Freedom Park's Botanical Garden for our last session with the Master Gardeners.  We have learned so much from them, and this week we wrapped up our lessons about pollination by learning about the crucial role bees play in it.  We also harvested more lettuce and the snap peas we had planted by seed when we first began working with them back in April!  




We cleaned out the lettuce beds and planted peppers in their place, and also added some portulaca and zinnia flowers in the beds around the tomatoes.  They will attract more bees so there will be more tomatoes!



We sampled the snap peas along with some dip made with several herbs, and then got to bring some back for a fresh and crunchy addition to lunch!



See that cute accessory in Kacie's hair?  It's a clothespin craft we made at the garden!  Most of us thought we would use them as paper clips (of sort), but Kacie thought it would look nice in her hair, and doesn't it?!  We enjoyed a number of crafts with the MGs over the weeks we visited.  They did such a great job with us; we hope to work with them again in the future!




Another highlight on Tuesday was welcoming Sam back from the Special Olympic State Games where he won GOLD medals in not one, but three, swimming events:  25, 50, and 100 meter freestyle!  We were so proud and very excited for Sam!


During Tai Chi on Wednesday, Mr. Stutt stopped by and decided to join us for a few minutes.  He was all dressed up and a little stressed up, too...it was the last week of school and he had lots of award ceremonies to attend!  On this day, it was the 5th grade graduation ceremony, which is sort of a big deal.  We were happy to offer him a moment of focus and relaxation!


We always work on balance...and we encourage our friends to try some of these exercises at home!


We were happy to help the school with the 5th grade graduation ceremony.  First, Chris and Patrick helped move some furniture and set up tables for the reception.


Next, Kate, Kacie, Laura, Alexis, Meghan, Devin, and Sam helped prepare cake and water bottles.  Due to a glitch in securing volunteers, our PTA friend Julie didn't have much help and she was thrilled with our ability to step in and provide such focused and efficient work!  This crew set up cake and water for 200 people in about thirty minutes!  We are very proud of them, too!  (And we must give a shout out to Carol...who cut most of those 200 slices of cake!)




We also observed Flag Day on Wednesday by working in our small groups to learn about the meaning behind this patriotic observance.




We weren't too busy to also celebrate Strawberry Shortcake Day on Wednesday!



Wow...what a Wednesday!

We were so intrigued with what the Master Gardeners told us about bees and pollination that we spent time on Thursday and Friday learning more about it.  While we didn't get pictures, we did get a LOT of knowledge about how vital pollination is in providing about 1/3 of the food we eat (fruit, veggies, nuts).  We learned that honey bees communicate by dancing so as to tell their colleagues where to go to find the best nectar and they use the sun as a directional guide; it takes over 10,000 honeybees visiting over 8 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey; and they make honey by vomiting the nectar from one's mouth to another's mouth (totally gross but true!).  Bees are amazing!  Check out this video we watched...


Thursday was Smile Power Day and we found out that smiling does, indeed, have great "power."  It boosts the immune system, helps reduce stress, can make you look younger, conveys trustworthiness, and is the best kind of contagious!  Smiling, even when you don't feel like it, is proven to improve your mood!  So, we made "smile props" just for fun...we have a naturally smiling group and they would never need a prop!  Except for when they are being silly at home...like Devin was!



Now that school is out, we can use the gym more often...at least until they close it for 3 weeks to redo the floor!  Our guys love to shoot hoops, but it's been a little too hot to go outside lately.



On Friday we put our sous chefs to work again. It's great to have so many helpers!  Here, Kevin and Kate work on using a "gadget" to put slices in the hot dogs so they would cook more evenly.



Laura and Liz made a simple fudge recipe...we had to observe National Fudge Day (with just a small sample for each of us)!


 Kacie, Meghan, and Josie made our deviled eggs!  Peeling the eggs was definitely the hardest part.  They tasted delicious, nonetheless!


We put Sam to work grilling the chicken dogs!  We discussed the choice to buy chicken dogs, versus beef or pork, as being a "healthier" option in that they have 40% less fat.  We couldn't tell the difference once Sam had grilled them!


Of course, we had some great opportunities for movement before eating those hot dogs.  There was our regular early morning dance party, and then...Flip Flop Games!  Yes, we celebrated Flip Flop Day by playing games with our shoes!  Not everyone was comfortable wearing flip flops, but that didn't matter.  We just threw all the shoes in the mix and had a great time!  First, we had a relay.  One player at a time had to run to the pile of shoes and pick out a matching pair...the competition was fierce and we played several rounds of this fun game!  The cheers were loud!  Sam was trying a slide technique to get to the shoes first!

  




Next, we set up a grid made with hoops and did the "Flip Flop Flip" where the shoes had to be flipped into the hoops to score points.  Devin demonstrates...


So. Much. Fun!






Here's what you need to know for next week:

Tuesday:  Bowling and pizza (pizza courtesy of Nancy Dayton...thank you, Meemaw!).  Wear your Arc shirts!  Sorry to our new friends that the t-shirt order wasn't ready before this week ended...hopefully you'll have your shirts for our next trip on June 27.

Wednesday:  Lunch of roast beef sandwiches from Arby's, courtesy of Kate and the Thompson Family!  Thank you!  We will add baked fries and fresh peaches with a small dollop of cream, since it's Peaches and Cream Day!

Thursday:  We will prepare turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread and since it's Onion Ring Day so we will also try our hands at oven-baked onion rings!  We are LOVING the large toaster oven recently donated by the Thompsons!

Friday:  It's PINK DAY and we had so much fun celebrating this last year, that we are doing it again!  Feel free to wear as much (or as little) of pink as you wish!  Lunch on your own but we will provide pink grapefruit and homemade pink lemonade!

SAVE THE DATE:  We have a special outing coming up on June 27th!  Elizabeth and the Kline family are sponsoring an experience for us at Paint on Pottery!  More details in next week's blog...

PLEASE CONSIDER:  The Arc's main fundraiser of the year, the 5K, is coming up on October 7.  We are seeking sponsors for this event.  If you or someone you know has a business that would be interested in supporting The Arc with a 5K sponsorship, PLEASE let us know!  (We also welcome individual sponsorships.)  We will be happy to send an information packet.  Several levels of sponsorship are available.  THANK YOU! 

You can also sign up to join us at the 5K (or 1 mile fun run) by visiting The Arc's website at thearcgw.org !

We hope you have a great weekend!  Happy Father's Day to all the AoA dads!  Hope you like the cards we made!


Lisa, Carol, and Nan