So Long, Chris

Even though we've known for about a year that Chris would be moving to Florida when his dad retired, it still wasn't easy to accept.  Chris was in the Charter Class when the AoA began in March of 2016, but many of our guys have known him a lot longer than that as he's always been very active in Arc and Special Olympics events.  Despite our sadness to see him go, we had a great week celebrating him...and a few others, too!

One of our beloved volunteers, Meemaw, brings Drew to the center on Tuesday mornings, and if we have some extra Eaton work, she happily takes it on.  Tuesday, we had a lot of lids that needed gaskets, but before letting her finish, we gave her some thank you notes for having sponsored our pizza at last week's bowling.  Thanks for all you do for us, Meemaw! 

We usually take time to warm up before heading to bowling.  Here, we are stretching.  Our scores are usually better when we stretch before bowling! 😉

Kevin kept his eye on the ball and it hooked just enough for him to make the spare!

Sam continued working on keeping his hand from turning as he released the ball.  He did very well and had two great games!

Chris got a little silly during his last game with us, and why not?  This was the second time he tried this, and he didn't fare as well, but when he did it the first time he made a strike!

We got Kate and Patrick to smile for the camera, but Chris is always checking the scores, and always congratulating his friends! 💙

Wow!  By the looks of these scores, the stretching helped!  Nice birthday banner scrolling along, too!

We gathered to get a birthday group shot for Chris, but when putting it into the blog, we realized Kevin was at the bathroom.  😌 Happy Birthday, Chris!  Thank you, Ms. Dee, for treating us to lunch and these yummy cupcakes. We're going to miss your son! 

 Those cupcakes were yummy and a little crumbly, too.  Thank you, Alexis, for cleaning up some crumbs that landed on the floor! 

It was a gorgeous afternoon so we headed to Waller Mill Park after bowling for a nice walk!

The sun was out and the wind was still.  We can feel Spring coming!

Fresh air and friends!

We had a good day on Wednesday, but we didn't take many pictures to show for it.  This may be the fewest we've ever taken in one day!  

First up, we made short work of shelving library books with this group getting it done!

Here are Kate, Chris, and Dev putting their heads together to solve a tricky crossword puzzle we worked on for Fairy Tale Day.  We read and listened to a couple of traditional tales, and we also read some "fractured" and funny ones from a book Laura shared, but we had a hard time with some of the clues in the puzzle.  Glad we have friends to help us!

Chloe, Liz, and Kacie worked on making cookie bars for a treat we were making for Patti's birthday.  Read on to see how this turned out!

We didn't have any particularly good pics of yoga poses today, so instead, we'll just share Patti's birthday pictures.  She was excited to have a birthday board filled with heartfelt cards!

We lit a candle on her treats, and she enlisted the help of a few friends to help blow it out after she made a wish!  (Will it still come true if they helped?!)

Here's the final picture from Wednesday:  Patti's yoga mat cookie bars!  You will have to use your imagination, but try to see us lying on yoga mats in one of our awesome poses!  (Hint: our heads are red...)

It was busy on Thursday morning as we prepared to say good bye to Chris, and most of our activities today were to celebrate him.  But it was also National Chili Day, so we had to cook, too!  Liz's mom was kind enough (at Liz's request!) to make us some of her delicious traditional style chili.  She brought it in a Crockpot first thing in the morning, and it smelled so good, we were tempted to eat it for breakfast!  Somehow, we restrained ourselves!

We were also planning to have Cincinnati Chili, since it is made with various spices like cinnamon and allspice.  Our master gardener friends recently gave us a great lesson on spices, so this seemed like the perfect time to make a savory dish.  We're so used to using spices in our baking...this would be fun and different!  Of all of our associates, only Sam had ever heard of Cincinnati Chili, and he raved about how delicious it is!

Here's Bo chopping onions.  He didn't even cry!  We checked out a couple of websites and learned that Cincinnati Chili began as a hot dog chili back in the 20s.  Eventually, it became popular in the Cincinnati area, as a chili with a thinner consistency than traditional chili (as in from Texas!), and of course, loaded with the spices.  The recipe even called for cocoa powder!  We also learned that, still today, there are about 200 "chili joints" in the town of Cincinnati.

Kacie and Sam show some of the spices and the cocoa we used.  And there, in the electric frying pan, is our version of the official grub of Cincinnati, Ohio!  It is always served over spaghetti, so we made that, too.  We had cheese, onions, and crackers for toppings...just like in Cincinnati.

As a side dish, Chris led the charge in making Ambrosia Fruit Salad.  We had this a few weeks ago and everyone loved it.  It's one of Chris's favorites, so we thought it would be good for today.

Our recipe called for canned fruit, but we also put in some fresh grapes after Kevin, Devin, and Drew cleaned and plucked them from the stems.

Before lunch, we made Chris some very heartfelt farewell cards.  He was touched by his friends' kind comments, and thanked each one personally.  Kacie was moved to tears and others in the room came close.  

Our Executive Director, Pam, joined us for Chris's Farewell and Chili Day lunch.  In the white Crockpot is Liz's mom's chili.  We didn't get a close up before it ran out, but trust us...it was so good!  Most of us tried the Cincinnati Chili, and agreed it was "ok" and "different."  But it was the chili in the Crockpot that went first!  Thank you, Mrs. K., for making it for us.  In the words of Chris himself, "Umm, umm, umm."  😋 😋 😋

As a parting gift for Chris, we put a few pictures of his time with us in a frame.  He liked it...a lot!  In fact, he said it was going in the living room in his new home in Florida! 😍😍😍

Chris forged some sweet friendships during his time with us!

We enjoyed looking at pictures of Chris's new home in Florida.  He has a pool right outside his bedroom door!  We would LOVE to have a pool party there, Chris!

Our final lesson of the day was a quick look at the state of Florida. We learned about its geography, climate, flag, state bird, nicknames, and more.  It's a great place and we know Chris and his family are going to love living in the Sunshine State!  We wish them all the best!

We geared up for another big day on Friday, as we were celebrating Drew's birthday.  Our plan was to give him a "surprise party" after lunch, so Carol, Liz, Kacie, and Alexis got decorations ready.

We also worked in small groups using our ever-improving computer skills to prepare our March calendar.

Sam came over to give Dev and Laura his opinion on which picture they should choose to represent "Goof Off Day."  Oh, the irony! 😂

It's going to be a busy month!!

It was Peanut Butter Lovers Day, and we do!  Thanks to these girls for making our PB&J or PB&B sandwiches.  Easy peasy for lunch, and one of our faves!

After lunch, we left Drew (with Alexis) in the lunchroom while everyone else put on party hats and hid in the big room with the lights off.  With his dad looking on, and Annmarie holding the "LET'S PARTY" sign, this was Drew's reaction when the lights came on and his friends shouted, "SURPRISE!"  The camera angle was off for capturing the sheer delight on his face!

His friends were happy for him!

Drew lives his life as if every day is a party.  Sign or no sign, he's always joyful and happy and lots of fun!

What a great cake!  We partied like Minions!

As he blew out the candle, we sang and wished him a happy year to come.  Many thanks to his parents for providing party decorations, a fabulous cake, and of course, the Birthday Boy!

It wouldn't be a Drew party without an "Uptown Funk" dance off!

Group photo!  All who were present are in the picture, too!  YAY!  What a fun time and a great way to end the week!

We're looking forward to more good times next week.  Here's our agenda:

Tuesday:  Today's travels will take us to Publix grocery store for a behind the scenes tour.  They will show us around various departments and answer all of our pressing questions about how things work there.  We will grab subs for lunch in their cafe, so please bring $8.  After lunch, if it's not too chilly, we will take a walk before heading to Studio South to enjoy a yoga session with Katy!  Please wear Arc shirts!

Wednesday:  We will work in our computer lab today and be assisted by one of our Rotary volunteers.  It's Dentist Day, so we will focus on dental hygiene in our education lesson. Patti will also be here for yoga, so dress to stretch.  Lunch on your own!

Thursday:  Today is National Cereal Day!  For lunch, we would like to invite each associate to bring their favorite box of cereal to share in a cereal buffet. We'll provide the milk and fruit sides!  It's also Marching Music Day, so we will enjoy musical fitness and educational activities. UPDATE:  We will also visit Christina at the Art Museums today, so please wear Arc shirts again!

Friday:  It's birthday time again.  Today we will celebrate Annmarie and we will do it on the road!  Jorie needs us at Eaton so we will set up in the breakroom and party down at lunch time! Please bring a bag lunch and wear your Arc shirt.  

⭐⭐⭐ UPDATE:  We ran into a glitch with the location for our Family Meeting scheduled for March 14, so we are moving the date to THURSDAY, MARCH 21.  We'll meet at Legacy Hall in New Town at 6 p.m. for dinner, fellowship, and celebration!  We apologize for any inconvenience and hope everyone will be able to join us as we celebrate 3 wonderful years of the Arc of Abilities. ⭐⭐⭐ 

On a sad note, please keep Nan, Lisa, and Alexis in your thoughts this weekend as they join with family in celebrating the life of their beloved brother-in-law and uncle who passed away this week. 💔

Enjoy the weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan