Spring Break Week 2018

We slowed our pace down a bit this week with only one outing and a number of associates taking some time off.  The school kids were out for Spring Break so we enjoyed unencumbered time on the playgrounds and in the gym.  It was a pleasant week!

Tuesday's bowling adventure began when Dallas seemed surprised to see us.  He had gotten our weeks mixed up and didn't expect us, so he had given "our" lanes (1-4) to other bowlers.  Even though this was not a problem for us (it's good to be adaptable if possible), he apologized profusely for not knowing.  We appreciate that he (and all the staff, really) recognizes how much routine procedures are better for our group. 😉 We were placed on lanes 9-11 and played there just fine.  

Our pizza lunch arrived hot and cheesy, and we thanked Laura and her family for sponsoring it this week!  It hit the spot, as usual!  Even though the bowling center was hopping on Tuesday with lots of Spring Breakers, Dallas and company made us feel at home.

We only had ten friends on Tuesday!  Still a great looking group, don't you think?!

After bowling we stopped by a new walking spot, the loop around Sentara Hospital.  We had to walk single-file as the loop is also a road.  There was little traffic and it was a change of pace from our usual trails.  When they asked why we chose this spot, we told them it was the closest place to our "surprise" stop of the day...

Ice cream at Chick fil A!  We thought it would be easy-peasy to stop at the one on Mooretown Rd. around 1:30, but, like the bowling center, it was quite busy in there, too!  Things always seem to work out for us, though.  Alexis spotted a nice section of seats available right in the middle of the restaurant, and we enjoyed people watching, chatting with each other, and refreshing ice cream to finish our day!

Wednesday was a pretty day so we headed outside.  On the way to the playground, we stopped to check out the tulips that are blooming in the containers we planted with our Master Gardener friends back in the fall.  We also planted garlic, onion, daffodil, and crocus bulbs, which we hope may bloom soon.

With the JRES students being out for Spring Break, we get to roam around areas of campus that are usually off limits.  There is a nice playground area we can visit so who could blame Sam for getting his hands in a bit of sand?!

One is never too old to slide!  Just ask these guys!

And who doesn't enjoy the freedom of swinging on a gorgeous Spring morning?

Kevin and Xavier climbed on these bars...quietly, and together. 😊

Over on the huge blacktop, Alexis and Liz walked a couple of laps.

Back inside, Jeff, our Rotary volunteer, worked with Chloe and Kacie on problem solving.  They used various manipulatives to figure out the answers.  Good thinking, ladies!

Meanwhile, up the hallway, Mr. Howard tried to distract those who were working in the big room.  He succeeded!  We didn't mind.  It's all in good fun and we don't get to see much of him when the students are at school.

When Becky came on Wednesday, she brought her granddaughter Emmy, who is staying with her this week.  Everyone enjoyed chatting with her during Choice Time, but soon we put her to work, helping Liz organize our yoga mats! 

Speaking of organizing, Chris sorted all of our bags of crayons by color, and then divided them up so each bag would have an even assortment of colors!  

Yoga with Patti was interesting, to say the least!  Here, she shows us the plank pose we are going to work on.  It will strengthen our core (even more), she said...it gets easier with practice, she said...we will work on it for a few weeks, she said...

Oh, it's hard!  Here, Xavier and Devin give it a great shot as Alexis encourages them.  In the background, Emmy demonstrates the "forearm plank" which, thank goodness, is an option.  Stay tuned for updates on our plank progress!

  

On Thursday morning we tried our convection oven for the first time.  We baked two small pans of banana bread and it turned out great!  It was golden brown on top and moist on the inside...but more importantly, it cooked evenly.  Sam had the honor of taking it out of the oven!  Thanks again, to his grandmother (Nina to us) for this thoughtful gift.  We love it so much, we christened it, "The Nina." 😍

We made Nina a special card, too. 💖

For lunch, we were treated to Subway subs from Kate's family!  Oh the joy...ten of our guys ordered meatball subs and they were giddy with lunchtime excitement!  We apologize for forgetting to take a picture of lunch, but this is how we felt:  😁😋🙌😍

We stayed at the center to do our Eaton work this week.  Carol and this crew assembled a "twisty" part.  It involves attaching two screws and giving it a good twist to tighten to just the right point.

Nan's crew removed the film covering from plastic tiles.

Another crew worked on a project for the school.  The librarian uses Legos with his students and they had recently created a model city.  Our job was to disassemble the project and sort all the pieces back into the storage boxes.

Last month when we went to the CW Art Museums, Christina began a study of magical, mythical creatures with us.  She gave us books and we searched for examples throughout the museum, which we then tried to draw.  Since that was somewhat frustrating, we brought the books back with us and continued the study by learning more about the creatures.  We then pasted pictures and summary text into our books.

Today we learned more about sphinxes, griffins, and phoenixes.  We have another session with Christina next week.  We're curious to see which creatures she will tell us about!

At the end of the day Thursday, after working on our books, Lisa told us to take the pool noodles and beach balls to the gym and "organize" ourselves into a hockey game while she, Nan, and Becky tidied up the room.  When she snuck into the gym with the video camera, she saw this...at least everyone was on the move!

Friday was an exciting day!  We spent most of it either outside in the sunshine or inside celebrating Sam's birthday.  We only have a couple of pictures today (and no, the camera isn't broken!), but it was a fun day, nonetheless.

We had our Friday morning dance warm up and then made birthday cards for Sam.  After that, we headed outside and took the long way to the playground.  What a gorgeous day, but a little breezy.  Kacie tried the slide today!  

Here's a bonus video for this week.  We just love seeing our guys enjoying themselves.  Thank goodness the pollen hadn't covered the playground yet, because we couldn't use the gym today.  Parks & Rec was using it for field day activities for about 75 kids!

Sam chose BBQ sandwiches for his birthday lunch so we made pulled pork and added baked beans, chips, and mandarin oranges. 

 It was a scrumptious lunch, but the best part was the "pie buffet" his mom brought for dessert.  Here, Sam and some of his pals pose with the chocolate pie, but we could also choose from cherry, banana cream, and cherry cheesecake.  Yum!  Thanks, Ms. Teri...we enjoyed Sam's birthday lunch very much!

We went outside again after lunch and took another good walk.  It felt good to stretch our legs and walk off a little of the pie.  🏃🏃🏃

Our day ended with a game of Disney Trivia.  We hope Sam enjoyed his birthday as much as we did!

We'll pick up the pace next week!  Here's what's up:

Tuesday:  It's Spring and we're ready to begin a new series of visits at Freedom Park's Botanical Garden with our Master Gardener friends.  We will go every other Tuesday for a couple of months.  The MGs have planned a lot of educational and fun activities for us!  Wear Arc shirts and bring a lunch.  We will picnic at the park if the weather is nice!

Wednesday:  Our themes today could not be more different, but we will do activities centered around Pet Day and Submarine Day (not the kind we eat!).  Feel free to bring pictures and stories of your favorite pets!  Our Rotary volunteer will be here for computer lab time, and it's also YOGA with Patti Day, so dress comfortably.  (Gotta work on our planks! 😨)  Lunch on your own.  The JRES cafeteria is open!!

Thursday:  It's Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!!!  We will make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.   We will also travel to the CW Art Museums for our monthly visit with Christina, so wear your Arc shirts!

Friday:  We have some birthdays to celebrate today!  Chloe and Becky share their special days.  It's an onsite Eaton work day, but that won't stop us from celebrating.  Chloe's family is treating us to pizza and cupcakes for lunch!  We are never too busy to celebrate our special friends, and volunteers!  Please wear Arc shirts, too!

Have a great weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan