Saturday, July 27, 2019

Some Amazing Weather!



A lot of rain welcomed us when we returned to AFCC on Tuesday.  It turns out that rescheduling our Watermen's Museum trip and going to Carol's for a movie was a good idea.  Even though it poured most of the day Tuesday, the rest of the week was amazingly gorgeous for this time of year.  We made the most of it!

We love going to Carol's Theater!  When we arrived Tuesday, we saw this "marquee" announcing the movie we were going to watch.  Not long after we got settled, we were snacking on popcorn and, of course, peanuts...and having a great time!


The Peanuts Movie was a good choice for our guys as it has a little something for everyone.  There were a lot of giggles while we watched it!


Of course, lunch ranks right up there with fun, too.  We stopped at Publix on the way to Carol's and picked up subs.  Most of us chose meatball, but we had a couple of turkeys, too!  (Subs, of course!)


Carol sets tables in several areas, and it was Sam and Annmarie (and later Carol and Lisa), who nabbed the waterfront seating!


This group enjoyed sitting with Nan in a sunny area.  Lunch at Carol's is relaxing.  Thanks, Carol, for welcoming us to your home!!  We failed to get a picture of Carol's husband, Gene, and her son, Matt (David was at work), but THANK YOU to both of them for welcoming us, too.  Our day was delightful!


This is us in front of the movie screen.  Isn't Carol's theater cool?! 


The gang noticed the staircase in Carol's house, so we had to take pictures!  Here are the guys!


Next, the gals!  Their faces tell it all...Movie Madness was so much fun!


After a rainy Tuesday, it was great to come in on Wednesday to weather that reminded us of Spring. The humidity went down and so did the temperatures, by a lot!  There was a gentle breeze, too.  We went outside and had a blast on one of the playgrounds.


Laura zipped down the slide while Annmarie, Sam, and Devin climbed on the bars.


Kevin enjoyed this climbing area.


Abraham preferred shooting hoops!  Look at his basketball soaring toward the basket with a beautiful sky in the background!


Back inside, we worked in the computer lab to create flyers for our food drive.  We are collecting for the Salvation Army Food Pantry.


We welcome donations of nonperishable food items between now and August 6!


Here are the flyers our guys created!


Junior Volunteer Emmy joined us today.  She brought a science project she had completed at home.  It's a motorized spin art machine.  She explained how she had to figure out how to connect the wires and batteries so that the disc inside the box would spin when she turned it on.


We were intrigued as she put a piece of paper inside on top of the disc, turned it on, and added drops of paint.  When it stopped spinning, she had a colorful masterpiece!  We loved hearing about her summer science project, and she was a very good presenter, too!  (And doesn't she look great in her Arc shirt?!)


Feeling the stretch with Patti during yoga!  Ahhhhh!


Synchronizing our breathing with cat and cow poses!


Wednesday was Amelia Earhart Day...she was born on July 24 in 1897.  We already knew she was famous for being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, and that she disappeared trying to fly around the world.  Today we focused on her other character traits, like being adventurous, brave, and independent.  We also learned that she was dedicated to women's rights, and worked to help women gain the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

We also made a fun snack out of celery, peanut butter, graham crackers, and grapes.  All it's missing is a pilot!


With a few minutes left at the end of the day, we cranked up the music and ended our day the way we usually begin it:  getting our groove on!


Thursday was another beautiful day and we were able to be outside again!  It was a little more humid than Wednesday, but still quite comfortable, as we tried another playground at the school.


This one has a swing and it's popular.  Our guys are great about taking turns!


Watch out!  Abraham is behind the wheel again!  He must have earned a license at the arcade last week!


We needed to prepare the corn for the salad we're making on Friday.  We came across a "kitchen tip" for shucking fresh corn quickly and easily but before trying it, we had to see how long it would take us to do it the old-fashioned way.  Patrick got the husk off of this ear of corn after a couple of minutes.


Next, Devin spent several minutes trying to remove all of the silks.


The kitchen tip we learned was called "nuke and shake."  It involves putting an ear of corn, unshucked, into the microwave for 2-4 minutes.  When it comes out, let it cool a little (or use a hot pad), then cut the end off.  Next, push the corn, while shaking it at the same time, until it eases out of the husk.  Voila!  No silks AND cooked! Where's the "Easy" button?!  We will cut it off the cob to use in Friday's salad.


Meanwhile, Cameron helped make a homemade dressing for the salad that included lime juice and honey!  Can't wait to try it!


Earlier in the morning, we worked in groups to make thank you cards for Carol and her family for the great time we had at their home on Tuesday.  Devin and Carol gave them to her as an opportunity to practice presentation skills! 😉


We finally "celebrated" National Tattoo Day.  Who knew it would be so much fun to get temporary tattoos?!  We loved it!


So cute, Drew!


It was a busy day.  After tattoos, we decided to check our potato plant.  When we came in on Tuesday, it was really wilted.  We had already been concerned that it wasn't growing properly, as we never saw it flower, which would have indicated it was producing potatoes.  Emmy and Alexis dumped the potato bag...


...and all that came out was dirt and a few roots, with no potatoes.  😦  The potatoes we planted with our master gardener friends may have been duds, or maybe it's us, as our cosmos didn't bloom either.  We kept the potato plant watered and in the sun.  We're disappointed, but maybe we can try again next year.


Our disappointment was short-lived because we got to play Bingo to end the day!


We recently got some prize donations (thank you Coach Teri and Kevin's sister, Julia!), and couldn't wait to get into them.  Devin was the first winner and he went straight for the royal crown!  Chloe was thinking, but finally choose a stuffed animal.  Happy Friends!


Our Friday was pleasant.  We learned about the 3rd state to enter the Union, New Jersey, spent lots of time in the gym, and enjoyed a delicious "Garden State" salad.  Here are a few pics from the end of our week!

Our gym time in the summer is special because we don't have to share it with others, and we can stay in there as long as we want!  The gang gets basketballs, large rubber balls, footballs, small balls and scoop sets, and flying discs.  They take advantage of the big gym and get a lot of movement chasing balls and discs all over the place.  


We know time for school to begin again will be here before we know it, so we will continue to enjoy the gym as much as we can.


Tracy stopped by to visit today as we were putting our lunch together.  Sam and Kate let her help cook the chicken!


We learned all about New Jersey today, including why it's called the Garden State.  We also learned that it's the most densely populated state...that was challenging to explain!  However, we were most interested in the fact that A LOT of actors, actresses, and singers came from NJ, but only one president!   

Here's our scrumptious salad, filled with fresh blueberries, tomatoes, and corn, which New Jersey is particularly known for producing.  It was light and refreshing, and seemed to fit with the beautiful weather week we've enjoyed.  Carol began her vacation today, and missed it, but trust us, she would have loved it.  (Almost) Everyone did! 😋🥗


We're only on the 3rd state in our year-long study of all 50, but our guys like using lunch bags as a "folder" for their work.  If we continue with this trend, we'll go through a lot of bags.  So we'd like to suggest that they can be reused!  Unless, of course, you're saving each week's bag for future reference! 


Alexis was excited today to share with us a short writing about her vacation that was published on the William and Mary Best Buddies blog.  Several of our guys participate in W&M's Best Buddies program.  Alexis's buddy, Anna, asked her to submit a summary of her recent trip to California and Oregon, along with some pictures.  Alexis was happy to compose a short narrative, and thrilled with its publication on the blog.  We're proud of you, Lexi!


And just like that, our week of wonderful weather was over!  We're already looking forward to next week, as we have a birthday to celebrate!!  Here's the scoop:

Tuesday:  It's back to Williamsburg Lanes for bowling and pizza for lunch!   Don't forget to wear your Arc shirts!  Back at AFCC, we will talk about the 400th anniversary of representative democracy in America, and how the fact that the president is visiting Jamestown to commemorate this event today is causing us to cancel our plans to slip over to Surry for blueberry ice cream after bowling! 😞

Wednesday:  Happy Birthday to Nan, today!  We're going to celebrate with a Taco Bake Casserole for lunch and since it's National Avocado Day, she's agreed to make guacamole for a side!  It's also Yoga with Patti day, so dress comfortably.  We requested "Beauty and the Beast" yoga for this week and Patti plans to deliver!

Thursday:  It's hard to believe it's August 1st, so we'll prepare our calendar for the month's activities.  We will also study the 4th state to enter the Union, Georgia!  Lunch on your own, but we will make a side salad of peach, peanut, and Vidalia onion to celebrate Georgia.

Friday:  It's Water Balloon Day!  Just sayin'.  It's also Coloring Book Day, if that's more your thing!  We'll also visit with Christina at the Art Museums of CW in the afternoon.  Busy day!  Lunch on your own!  Wear a shirt for water balloon play and bring your Arc shirt to change into for the museums!

NEXT SATURDAY (AUGUST 3) is the big day!

Women of the Moose Golf Tournament @ Kingsmill's River Course!  Thanks to those of you who have sponsored holes or signed up to play, and to the associates who will be joining us to volunteer! It's not too late to sponsor, play, or volunteer...shoot Lisa a message for any opportunity!

Later in the month:

August 30 - Jamestown Jams with Good Shot Judy

And, our largest FUNdraiser of the year...please sign up to walk/run OR be a sponsor!

Sign up here:  5K Registration

Sponsorship Info here:  5K Sponsorship Info




ENJOY THE WEEKEND!

Lisa, Carol, and Nan

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Heat Wave Week


What an extremely warm week it was!  We should be used to it by now, but it was oppressive this week.  It was good that we only had one outing and it was to an air-conditioned bowling center...where we also got to catch up with a very COOL friend!  The rest of the week we were in our own air-conditioned rooms, and thankfully, they were cool and comfortable.  Here's a look at our Heat Wave Week!

We headed to York Lanes in Grafton to bowl with our friend, Dallas, who used to work at Williamsburg Lanes.  He was transferred last Fall and we miss seeing him when we bowl in Williamsburg.  Tuesday was his day off, but he insisted we meet him anyway, so he could bowl with us!  


York Lanes is set up a little differently than Williamsburg, but we quickly figured out the "lay of the land" and had an awesome time!


We welcomed a new junior volunteer this week.  Here, with Sam, Kate, and Devin is Kendall.  She's a rising freshman at Jamestown High School and was looking for summer volunteer hours.   Her dad Adam is on The Arc's board of directors, so he reached out to the AoA, and we were happy to have her help!


The lights remained dimmed while we bowled, and the music was on in the background.  There are also video screens above the pins.  We could see music videos, sports programming, and even Sponge Bob!  It was a fun experience at York Lanes!



Watch Drew and Dallas take a turn.  Dallas was a beast, getting strikes almost every time he rolled!  Drew comes really close to getting one, too!  




There were a lot of high-fives to be given!  Here, Dallas congratulates Drew on a later turn, when Drew did get the strike!


Our camera was a little slow on the snap, but Dallas had just congratulated Devin on a strike, too!  Hanging out with Dallas made our bowling day a real social event!


Waiting their turns!


Thank you to Laura's grandparents for sponsoring our pizza lunch on Tuesday!  We found out that it's just as good at York Lanes as it is in Williamsburg, and we can't thank them enough for their generosity.  Laura and her friends were saying "Ta-da!" so her grandparents will know how special we think pizza is!


Our awesome day continued after lunch when Dallas gave everyone a "credit card" to use in the Arcade!  Wow!  That was a surprise and our guys loved it!  Kate and Cameron competed against each other in a laser tag game.


No surprise that Patrick and Alexis used their credits to shoot hoops!


Laura tried her hand at SkeeBall.


Watch out...Abraham is behind the wheel! 😎


It was our lucky day to get to spend it with Dallas, and we are grateful for his friendship and support!  (He also treated us to the bowling games!)  We had so much fun and the best part?  EVERYONE was here today!  (That hasn't happened in a long time!)  Thank you, Dallas!  You made this one of the best outings we've had in a long time!  It was great to see you!!


We had to get busy on Wednesday creating some thank you notes.  We're very aware of the generous support of so many in our village, and we always take pride in each and every thank you note we make.  Here, Sam, Cameron, Xavier, and Patrick were working on cards for Sam and Anna, the lifeguards that kept an eye on us at Kevin's pool party last week.  We thought they would like a few notes from us!


Kendall worked with Laura, and the two of them made sweet notes!


The gym was calling us on a day that was way too hot to be outside.  We split into teams and grabbed the big ball for a game of kickball!


We like your technique, Kendall!


Our camera isn't great at action shots...and Chloe was definitely in action as she raced to home plate to score a run for her team!


Talk about techique!  Check out Abraham's!


In the end, Team Devin won, 7-6, but everyone showed sportsmanship with handshakes and fist bumps!


Thank you, Kacie, for re-potting our Christmas cactus plants into larger pots.


After Choice Time we set up for yoga and couldn't wait for Patti to return.  We haven't had a class with her in a month due to scheduling issues.  We didn't mind that she had us begin in this position!


Ahh...Patti's smooth voice guided us through a gentle yoga practice that didn't overheat us.  It felt good to stretch on this warm day.


Soon we were on all fours and working our way to our feet...with all kinds of stretches in between.


With everyone in attendance again on Wednesday, plus staff and volunteers, we fill up the room during yoga practice.  Our mats work well as our little yoga "islands" and we never have any space issues.


Wednesday was National Emoji Day and we had learned the history of where emojis came from earlier in the day.  After yoga, we enjoyed a game of Emoji Bingo.


Kevin and Kendall (and everyone, actually), take their Bingo seriously...😉


Mr. Stutt has been popping in to say "hi" a lot lately.  On Thursday morning he came while we were still in the foyer waiting for everyone to arrive!  In the summer, school staff works from 7:30-5:30 M-Th and has Fridays off.  He said sitting behind a computer for 10 hours gets long so he needs to stretch his legs!  We enjoy chatting with him!


We worked in computer lab groups to make thank you notes for Laura's grandparents, who treated us to pizza at bowling on Tuesday.


There were several tasks to be completed in the making of each group's card, so our guys had to divvy up responsiblities to get them done.


The majority of our day on Thursday was spent learning a lot of interesting facts about the Apollo space missions, including Apollo 11, which landed on the moon 50 years ago on July 20th.  Our junior volunteer, Kendall, won "best-dressed" when she arrived wearing a 50th Anniversary shirt commemorating the historic event!


Laura was in a "best-dressed" league of her own when she shared with us a Space Camp suit worn by her aunt a few years back.  Space Camp is located in Huntsville, Alabama.  Very cool, Laura! 


Special thanks to Laura's mom, Lisa, and Liz's dad, Greg, for sending in these extra resources.  Lisa is a retired teacher and the books were used in her classrooms.  Greg subscribes to the Wall Street Journal and sent us their excellent supplement on Apollo 11.  We appreciate our families' interest in helping us extend the learning!


Annmarie enjoyed perusing this book about space during Choice Time!  (She even turned her music off for a while!) 🤓


We included a craft activity in our Moon Day studies.  Kacie is seen adding a drawing of Earth to her work depicting the moon with an astronaut planting the United States flag.  


These projects are simply...out of this world cute!


We couldn't call Moon Day complete without a little treat, so Drew and Sam had the honor of passing out mini moon pies at the end of the day!  We hope our guys learned a few facts about our country's space program and what it meant 50 years ago for America to be the first country to land a "man" on the moon.  It was a fun learning day!


Friday was a patricularly busy day for us, and at the end of it, we realized we didn't take a lot of pictures.  We'll have to summarize our day with these few!


On Tuesday, Carol took Cameron, Liz, and Kendall over to hook up with James, who had boxed up some work for us to bring back to AFCC.


On Friday morning, we got to work on gasketing Eaton parts and preparing lunch.  After an hour or so of working hard, we were ready for a break.


We spent about 30 minutes in the gym, making up games and shooting hoops, then it was time for a snack!  We don't usually snack, but Devin, who is from our state of the week, Pennsylvania, brought soft pretzel samples.  He's very proud of the fact that Pennsylvania is known for these tasty treats, and his friends loved that he and his family thought to share them with us!  Thanks, Dev and family!! They hit the spot! 🥨🥨🥨  Also, shout-out here to today's "best-dressed," Alexis in Penn State and Devin in Philadelphia Eagles!

  

We spent the rest of the morning learning lots of interesting facts about Pennsylvania, including why it is known as the Keystone State!  We reviewed its history, worked on map skills and found cities, rivers, and mountains, and also learned a lot of cool facts about its state bird, the ruffed grouse.  

While all of that was interesting, what we enjoyed most about Pennsylvania was trying our version of Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.  It took us two days to get them ready (we cooked the meat yesterday in the slow cooker), but it was worth the wait.  They were yummy!  We send thanks again to Devin's family for donating a Food Lion gift card for us to use toward cooking meals this summer!  We used it for last week's lunch, and also got most of this week's lunch with it!  We are grateful! 


This is us racing to certain tables as we were voting on which movie we most wanted to watch on Tuesday.  We're going to Carol's for a movie day.  The finalists were Night at the Museum, The Peanuts Movie, and Finding Dory.  You'll have to check next week's blog to find out which one won!


Our movie day will take place at Carol's home theater, where we can kick back and enjoy almost any movie ever made, as Carol's boys have lots to choose from!  We're going to spring for lunch subs from Publix, too.  Coach Teri occasionally asks us to make posters for her neighborhood events, and this earns us a bit of cash.  We've been saving up for a good time to spend it, and decided that a movie and lunch day would be fun.  It just so happens that we were making a few posters for Coach Teri this week, too, and here they are.  We love the black background this time!


Our week ended when Kendall jumped up and said she wanted to give us this thank you card for letting her volunteer this week.  She worked on it during Choice Time and it was very thoughtful!  Kendall, we enjoyed having you help us this week.  You showed a lot of initiative and creativity, and were great working alongside our guys.  They enjoyed getting to know you.  Thanks for helping, and know that you are welcome to volunteer anytime!



We hope the heat wave will let up next week, but whether it does or not, we'll be busy.  Here's our agenda:

Tuesday:  We consulted with Steve at The Watermen's Museum and he suggested we reschedule our visit for "What's In The Bay?" due to warm temperatures, hot sand, and a threat of storms.  We will aim for a September visit.  So, instead, we are going to Carol's in-home theater for Movie Madness Day!  We will stop on the way to pick up subs for lunch from Publix.  (No need to bring $ and you don't have to wear your Arc shirts.) 

Wednesday:  It's National Amelia Earhart Day, and we always enjoy learning about her many adventures.  We are also going to begin a Food Drive for the Salvation Army.  We will learn about the work done by the Salvation Army and work in the computer lab to design an informational flyer to bring home with details about our Food Drive.  Dress to stretch for yoga with Patti, too!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday: There was a delay getting our emoji tattoos from Amazon, so we will have belated Tattoo Day activities today.  We'll look into what National Merry-Go-Round Day is all about.  We also hope to celebrate Mr. Howard's birthday, today...if he can stop by JRES for a special treat!  Lunch on your own. 

Friday:  Continuing our study of the states, we'll learn about the 3rd state admitted to the Union today:  New Jersey.  We're going lighter and healthier for lunch with "Garden State" salad which includes corn, tomatoes, and blueberries!  We'll add grilled chicken for protein.  

SAVE THE DATES!

There are some great events coming up:

July 26 - Jamestown Jams with The Deloreans

August 3 - Women of the Moose Golf Tournament @ Kingsmill's River Course

August 30 - Jamestown Jams with Good Shot Judy

And, our largest FUNdraiser of the year...please sign up to walk/run OR be a sponsor!

Sign up here:  5K Registration

Sponsorship Info here:  5K Sponsor Info



Thanks for continued support of The Arc of Greater Williamsburg,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan