A Birthday, Surprises, and Good Deeds

Friday marked day 42 of our home quarantine but we were not to be deterred.  Instead, we found joy in this week's days as we celebrated Kate's birthday and Earth Day.  We were excited to receive special surprises from Sam and Coach Teri, AND we got to perform good deeds!  Plus, we got lots of pictures of our friends continuing to make the most of our unprecedented time away from the AoA, as they didn't let the pandemic keep them down.  How could our week have been any better?!

Before we get to the social pictures, here's one of Alexis modeling a mask that Annmarie's mom, Teresa, made.  She wants us to pass along that she made these using a pattern that allows full coverage, and the lining is an interface that is a good filter.  Alexis and I can report that they are comfortable and breathable.  If you need masks, Teresa has offered to make them for you.  She won't be able to get more of the special interface fabric until May, but let her know if you're interested.  She also said she can use your own fabric if you have a special piece you'd like converted to a mask.  Thank you, Teresa!  This is a thoughtful gesture, and another example of how we are all in this together!

We hope everyone is getting outside on the pretty days we have (in between the rainy ones).  It's Spring and the weather has been nice, with low humidity, so we need to take advantage! 

Drew and his dad, Andy, took a ride on a bicycle built for two!  That looks like so much fun, Drew!

Looks like Drew and Andy weren't the only ones enjoying a fun ride!  Look at Devin and his brother Christian taking their family's 1970s bike for a spin.  That took some brotherly teamwork, and these two seem to have it down pat!

Cameron and his family have enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking walks together.

His mom Stacey said it's just like Cameron to be a "mile ahead" of her and his dad.  Can you see him way up there?  We can relate.  He takes the lead on AoA walks, too!

Lisa and Alexis got in a walk around the WISC complex.  They miss walking with their AoA friends.  And don't even ask that playground how much it misses our visits!

Here's Liz with Annabelle and Rose, walking the big loop from the Rec Center, past Kiwanis Park, around to the baseball field and back to the Rec.  That's quite a hike, Liz!

Sam and his family took a stroll around the W&M campus, and ended up at the "echo wall" which is also known as the Tyler Family Garden.  If you stand at precisely the spot where Sam is, face Blair Hall, and speak, there will be an echo.  It's pretty cool!  When we get back to "normal" we'll bring the AoA here and let Sam show us how it's done. 😎

Sam and his family also enjoyed a "car picnic" with burgers from Five Guys!  Yum!!

It doesn't look like burgers, but we're sure whatever Chef Annmarie had going on the stove was going to be delicious!  Is that mac n cheese?!  It's great to see her putting those cooking skills we work on to use.  We bet your family loved it, Annmarie!

Meanwhile, Baker Liz was busy at her house whipping up sugar cookies from scratch!  

We're glad to see you keeping your baking skills sharp, Liz.  We will need them once we return to the center!  Your cookies look delicious!

Xavier spent part of his week making a special puzzle for the birthday girl, Kate.  That's such a creative idea, and very thoughtful, Xavier!  (It's a surprise for next week, so shhhh...but Xavier also made a birthday puzzle for Devin. 🧡)

Here we are on Thursday when we celebrated Kate's birthday during our Zoom session.  This was us singing "Happy Birthday" to her!

On Wednesday, Carol delivered birthday cards to Kate that her friends had sent earlier.  Wednesday was Kate's actual birthday!

During our Zoom, Kate thanked us for thinking of her and showed us the lovely cards!

Kate also wanted us to see the pretty balloons and flowers her brother got her!  We hope your day was special, Kate.  

 

                                 

Alexis and Kevin joined Scott for another fun Zoom-ercise session on Thursday.  

Scott had us use TP rolls during this workout!  That was fun!  Great stretch, Alexis!

Kevin's mom snuck up behind him and got this picture.  It's hard to tell, but Kevin was throwing boxing punches as he followed along with Scott on his computer screen.  

Kevin helped his dad fill jugs with water that his dad would use when working with his physical therapy patients.

Kevin's workouts pay off.  Check out this video of him carrying a crate of heavy water jugs.  Way to go, Kevin!   

Mr. Mason made another trip to Eaton this week to pick up parts from James!

We also returned to James the pieces that Liz and Alexis put gaskets on last week.  He sends a big thank you to us for what we're able to get done!  And we send one right back to Eaton for being an awesome vocational partner!!

Mr. Mason dropped several tubs of mixed parts at Sam's house this week!

Sam sorted and packed them so nicely before sending them on to Alexis and Liz.  Thanks for your help, Sam.  We know you were happy to "get to work" again!

James sent a few of the aluminum plates for "Pink Lady" Laura to work on, too.  Oh, how we miss this face!

Silliness aside, Laura also did a great job and we're thankful for her help, too!

Alexis couldn't work this week because James ran out of rectangle gaskets and has to order more,  But Liz continued to apply gaskets to lids at her house.  Then, she continued the tradition of having a Frosty after a good day's worth of Eaton work!  That looks good, Liz, and we can't wait until we can all return to Wendy's for Frosties!  Hey, Nina...your legacy to the AoA lives on even in quarantine times!!! 😍🍦😍

Last but not least, we have lots of pictures from Friday's adventure of Sam, Teri, Alexis, and Lisa visiting everyone so Sam could gift his friends with a sweet surprise, and we could collect donations for the Food Drive.  To Sam and Teri, we send thanks for the mini-cake kits that are so much fun and will remind us that random acts of kindness bring a lot of joy.  🎂💙 🧡🎂   To everyone who contributed to the Food Drive, thank you for your generosity.  The AoA may be small, but our concern for others is huge!  💟

When we got to Devin's, the sky fell out!  That didn't stop him from being happy to see his friends! 

Due to prior commitments on their part, we couldn't see Xavier and Abraham, and we missed them! We still dropped off their surprises, though!  👍

We know our guys enjoyed decorating the cakes, and here's a picture of Patrick with his.  It's perfect!  We heard he couldn't wait to get it done!  😋

This is Carol's cake, which she said Matt decorated.  Please keep Cakes by Tawanda in mind for your future cake needs.  She does beautiful work!  The Arc of GW has enjoyed her cakes and cupcakes for past events and highly recommends them!

We forgot to take a picture of ALL the Food Drive donations once we had met Arc's Transportation Coordinator, Mr. Mason, and transferred them to the Arc van, but here is about half of them in the back of Lisa's car.  The bags were full and stacked one on top of another!  Mr. Mason and Arc driver Wayne Jackson will deliver them to Williamsburg House of Mercy, which will share with Grove Christian Outreach, on Monday.  Thanks Mr. Mason, and Wayne, for your part in this successful Food Drive!

Aww, your delivery and pick up crew looks great in their safety masks!

We'll end this week's "mega-blog" with a thought inspired by Cameron's parents, Brian and Stacey, who gave us this pretty gift:  Everyone, take time to stop and smell the roses!

Peace to all,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang