Rainy Relocation

What a difference in the weather between last week and this week!  From warm and sunny to very, very rainy...we hope the ducks loved it because we got tired of it very quickly!  Despite the downpours, we relocated to Freedom Park and had a successful week.  It was frustrating to be at the park and not be able to get outside very much, but we kept our spirits up and made good memories with each other, and some very special friends and helpers!  With Carol still being away, Nan and Lisa send tremendous thanks this week to:  Tracy and her "moving" van; Pat's mom, Sue; Liz's Dad and Arc Board Member Greg Kline; Therapy Dog Friend Caroline and her daughter Lynne; Arc Board President Sue Hassan; and Laura's parents, Lisa P and Tom, all for braving the elements and supporting us this week.  We're also very grateful to James City Parks and Recreation for finding space at Freedom Park for us to meet while AFCC is undergoing maintenance work!  

Tuesday

It actually only sprinkled off and on for most of the day, and we dodged the rain drops to get a bit of outside time, and to take our only outing of the week.  As usual, we began the morning with music and dancing.  Thanks to Tracy, Patrick, and Patrick's mom, Sue, who were the first to arrive and who schleped all of our stuff inside AND set up the computer "system" by the time Lisa arrived!  We were able to hit the ground dancing! 👏👏

During our check of last week's blog, we were looking at the part where we visited the garden and worked with our master gardener friends.  This prompted Michelle to tell us about her weekend.  She brought several family members to visit the garden, and showed them the beans, squash, watermelon, and potatoes we are growing!  She said they loved visiting the garden!! 💖

Speaking of the garden, we dashed over before the raindrops came to check the progress of things we have planted recently with the master gardeners.  We ran into MG Elizabeth who was working in another area of the garden this morning.  Great to see you, Elizabeth!  She told us we just missed Karen and her husband, Steve, who had come over to water!

At the trellis bed, Drew pointed out that the beans are beginning to grow up the trellis, and beside the beans, the tomato plant is thriving.  It has a lot of small tomatoes already growing on it!  You can also see lush carrot tops just below Drew!

We checked the potato bed, and noticed a couple of small potatoes poking through the soil.  We also noticed a couple of stalks of corn growing in the strawberry bed, and the squash in the trellis bed was growing nicely!

After an early lunch, and with just a light mist outside, we loaded the vans and made our way to The Art Museums of CW for a lesson on American Eagle Day with Christina.  This day commemorates the day the bald eagle was selected as our national symbol on the Great Seal in 1782.  We found a lot of examples of eagle art today!  This is an eagle carved from wood by an artist named Wilhelm Schimmel.  He was a German immigrant in Pennsylvania during the 1870s who was what we would today consider homeless.  In exchange for his carved figures, people would offer him a place to stay or something to eat.

This quilt is an interesting piece, with 4 eagles appliqued in a pattern that was common during the late 19th century.  These whimsical eagles appear to have rooster combs on their heads and tails that fan out like those of peacocks!

We liked this painting of an eagle flying over Wallowa Lake, which is in Oregon.  The reflection of the eagle in the lake's water is pretty!

We also saw other eagle carvings, and eagles on ceramics, too.  We talked about how it became the national bird, and what we think about when we see a bald eagle.  Then, in the ed studio, Christina taught us how to draw an eagle in flight!

We were thankful for the assistance of Greg Kline this afternoon, even though Liz was absent to spend time with visiting family members!  Thank you, Greg, for being one of our van drivers and coming to the Art Museums with us.  Thanks also for helping some of our friends with their eagle drawings.  We appreciate you!

After drawing the eagles, we added watercolors to make them "pop" off the page.  AS ALWAYS, we ended up with a lot of beautiful, individual masterpieces.  Our guys are so talented!

Thanks, Christina, for this patriotic lesson about one of our country's most recognizable symbols!   We enjoyed finding art objects in the galleries, and then learning to draw eagles with your step-by-step directions.  What a fun afternoon!

Wednesday

By this morning, it was raining buckets, and the wind was blowing as well.  Amazingly, all of our expected friends made it for what would be a long day stuck inside!  Here, Laura's dad escorted her up the sidewalk, while Xavier made his way behind her, having just gotten off the WATA bus.

We had to cancel our therapy dog visit scheduled for today, since we wouldn't be able to be outside for more space.  They will visit us at the Longhill Rec Center next Wednesday.  👏🐕  However, Pip and Indy's mom, Caroline, brightened our morning when she and her human daughter Lynne came to hang out and lend a hand!  Caroline helped Drew and Kevin on some coloring pictures we would use on a big thank you banner later this week!

This is Caroline's daughter, Lynne, who worked with Xavier and Sweet T today.  Lynne was visiting from the DC area.  We enjoyed getting to know her!  Thanks so much for "swimming over" to help us today, Caroline and Lynne!  Your visit was a ray of sunshine on a dreary day! 🌞🌞

Caroline helped us play a game called the MAGIC NUMBER.  Lisa left the room and Patrick picked a number on the chart, which everyone was told to keep secret.  When Lisa came back, she asked a few questions about which columns the secret number was in, and voila, she was able to tell us what the secret number was! 

A few of us took turns picking secret numbers, including Abraham.  Lisa was able to figure them out every time!  How did she do that?!?!  Maybe she'll tell us one day!

Our room at the Interpretive Center at Freedom Park is smaller than what we are used to, but we fit comfortably at the tables, and we're secretly enjoying a week of not having to set up and take down tables!  Yay for silver linings!!

It really seemed like a long day, though.  In addition to our time with Caroline and Lynne, we danced twice and had another movement break with a GoNoodle activity.  We also learned about skateboarding and surfing, since both sports had national days in their honor this week.  Sam, Erik, Dev B, and Adia amused us with their "Hang Ten" skills!

We ate lunch, had Choice Time, and got our banner put together.  We almost finished our read-aloud, Harriet the Spy (movie version tomorrow).  Finally, it was time to call it a day!  We hope we'll be able to get outside for a little while tomorrow!

Thursday

We had a different experience for our dance warm up today.  Patrick brought his Disney's Beach Party cd, and we danced to fun beach music instead of our usual videos!  It was so good, we played it again at the end of the day.  Thanks for sharing, Pat!

Happy Chocolate Eclair Day!  Adia make our "one pan wonder" dessert for today's special luncheon!  So good!  (She hadn't put the chocolate layer on yet, but it was coming!)

Lisa finally finished reading Harriet The Spy, our read-aloud for the month of April that took a little longer than expected.  What can we say?  We are busy!  And it's a long book!  Anyway, we then watched the first half of the movie version, which came out in 1996.  The book was set in the 1960s.  We really liked the book, and also how the movie version was done.  We like to learn about "the old days."  😁

Today's weather was very cloudy, but it didn't pour all day, so we took a movie intermission and walked over to the garden.

We were thrilled to run into Krafty Karen who was working in the garden with her husband, Steve.  They were putting stakes around the sunflowers, and a type of fencing around the carrots, beans, and squash because a critter has been nibbling them!  Since we checked on Tuesday, the leaves are gone from the carrots, and the beans that were climbing the trellis are gone, too!  Thank you, Karen and Steve, for trying to save the veggies!  (p.s. Note Michelle is turned around to show off her sunflower shirt!)

When we got back from the garden, our friend Sue had arrived with lunch for us.  Sue is the president of the Arc's Board of Directors, and she offered to bring us lunch during the relocation since we wouldn't be able to cook!  Her special delivery of grilled chicken (thanks to Amir, her husband, who grilled it), garden salad, pasta salad, and watermelon was DELICIOUS!  It was all home-made (except the watermelon, haha) and it really hit the spot during this rainy week!

Sue!  We can't thank you enough for your kind and tasty gesture of lunch for us today.  You and your husband Amir are excellent cooks!  We loved everything you made and really appreciate you for taking the time to bring it to us.  As always, we enjoyed visiting with you, too.  💖😊💖

Look who Annmarie ran into during our walk to the garden.  This is LaWanda, who works with Parks & Rec and used to have Annmarie in her programs, when Annmarie was younger!  Annmarie was thrilled to see her, as were Drew and Xavier, who also spent time in LaWanda's programs.  Thanks for stopping by LaWanda, and for helping for a while, too!  We all enjoyed seeing you!

After Choice Time, we finished the movie.  We discussed the similarities and differences between the book and the film, and also several of the good lessons in them.  A main one is that good friends are worth keeping, so treat them with kindness and respect.  We were very happy Harriet finally learned that lesson!

We'll end today's blog segment with our joy of dancing.  The end of the movie featured a song by James Brown called "Get Up Offa That Thing."  The line that was sung over and over was "Get up offa that thing, and dance til you feel better!"  So that's what we did!

Friday

Happy National Pink Day!  We have fun celebrating this day each year, and always look forward to seeing how pink we can get.  We did pretty well this year.  Many thanks to Erik, who took the camera for the first time today and snapped this shot for us!

The highlight of our last day at Freedom Park was welcoming Laura's parents, Lisa P and Tom, for a "camping" theme that included grilled hot dogs for lunch!  We were so happy that the rain held off long enough for Tom to be able to light up the grills and do the cooking.  Thank you, Tom, for the tastiest hot dogs we've had in a while, AND for enduring the extremely warm and muggy conditions while cooking over the hot coals.  We really appreciate it!

We also appreciate Lisa P for her idea to make today a camping theme...and deciding to bring all the yummy ingredients for a "create your own" trail mix bar!  Lisa P, you picked the perfect ingredients for the trail mix, with a great combo of salty and sweet!  This was a lot of fun and something we haven't done before!  Thank you!

So many ingredients for trail mix on Camping Day!  Our Lisa pointed each one out to Kevin and Dev B, who each decided they wanted a little of each in their mixtures!  😋

Abraham, Erik, and Michelle enjoyed using the scoops to measure the ingredients for their trail mixes.  Our choices were pretzels, Rice Chex cereal, golden raisins, peanuts, mini-marshmallows, and m&m's.  Soooo good!

After our delicious hot dog and trail mix luncheon, it was time for Corn Hole Challenge with the Palmers!  Unfortunately, it started to rain buckets again, so we had to play indoors, but that did not discourage anyone from making the most of it.  Round One was "regular" corn hole...except by our modified rules!  😉

Tom kept score and Lisa P cheered us on...just as we did for each other!  This wonderful room, which we are very grateful to have been able to use, is a bit cavernous...meaning noises are amplified in there.  Our corn hole game was loud with all that cheering!

Soooo, Round Two was "silent" corn hole!  Instead of regular cheering, we had to keep our voices silent and wave our hands to show applause, ASL style.  It was really fun to watch us adapt to this version of play.  We did very well!  After silent corn hole, we played a round of "use your non-dominant hand" corn hole.  Everyone was surprised at how different that felt!  Thanks, Lisa P and Tom, for bringing the corn hole boards (so we wouldn't have to pack ours) and running the Corn Hole Challenge today.  It was fun, and got us moving around a little.  We're glad the rain stopped long enough for Tom to load the corn hole boards back into the car!

We played Camping Bingo to end the week.  A handsome in pink Dev B loved our new Bingo chips, which he sorted so that he only used the colors of his favorite college football team, the Clemson Tigers!  💜🐯

We're very thankful for Tracy's help this week with our moves!  She arrived this afternoon during a break in rain showers so we could load our supplies on a Parks & Rec van.  Tracy then transported our stuff to the Rec Center on Longhill Road, which is where we will be relocated for next week!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tracy!!  We couldn't have managed without you!

It was quite a week with all the rain and the limited space, but we pulled together and made it a successful time!  Again, we appreciate James City County Parks & Recreation for finding room for us while AFCC is undergoing maintenance work.  Also, a huge thank you to our families for adapting to the changes!  We're looking forward to the fun we'll have next week at the Rec Center on Longhill Road.  Here are our plans:

Tuesday:  As we begin our second relocation week at the JCC Rec Center, we will start the day with a visit back to Freedom Park for our last session (until Fall) with the master gardeners!  If the weather is cooperating, we'll eat outside and take a nice hike on the paved path, since we didn't get to last week.  It's National Sunglasses Day, so we're optimistic!  Otherwise, we'll return to the Rec Center for indoor activities.  Bring a bag lunch.  Arc shirts optional.

Wednesday:  Today we'll enjoy a rescheduled visit with our therapy dogs and handler friends!  We're thankful that some of them are able to come today, since we had to cancel last week due to rain!  We'll also have a lesson on July 4th today and create some colorful crafts.  It's Paul Bunyan Day, so we'll watch the classic Disney film, too.  That's always fun!  Bring a bag lunch.

Thursday:  We're heading over to APEX PT and Movement Center for a workout in the Rock Steady Boxing gym with Kelly and Scott!  Dress to stretch and wear your Arc shirts!  Back at the Rec Center we will try to be successful with a few science experiments, and make another special thank you banner.  Bring a bag lunch.

Friday:  We're going bowling this morning!  When we return to the Rec Center, we'll have pizza for lunch, courtesy of our friend Nancy's brother Randy, and sister-in-law, Sally.  Nancy lives in Kentucky now, but we stay in touch.  The pizza treat is to celebrate Randy's birthday!  How thoughtful is that?  We wrote letters to Nancy last week to let her know how special her family is, and how much we miss her, too. 💜💛💚  We'll end the week with games and then pack up everything for our return to AFCC on July 11th.  Arc shirts optional.

                 

The Women of the Moose's 8th Annual Golf Tournament is fast approaching!  Moose Patti and all of our WOTM friends are working hard to make this a very successful FUNdraiser, as it always is!  Contact Lisa for more info on supporting this wonderful event.  Thank you! 

We hope you have the date on your calendar:  Saturday, August 5th!  We need Arc Ambassadors to ride around on golf carts spreading good cheer and appreciation!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the Gang

Summer's Getting Closer

After a somewhat cool spring, we think summer is on the way!  It will officially arrive next Wednesday, but we enjoyed sunshine along with warm temperatures this week.  We enjoyed being outside for a fantastic lesson with the master gardeners followed by games in the park on Tuesday.  On Wednesday we learned new tasks when we volunteered at GCOC.  Thursday found us making special treats for Father's Day, and on Friday, we worked at PSP and packed up to leave the building for a couple of weeks!  Carol began her cruise in Scandinavia this week, so we welcomed Patrick's mom, Sue, Laura's parents, Lisa P and Tom, and Tracy as substitutes.  We are grateful to them all!  Read on for all the details of our warm and sunny week...

Tuesday

Our adventure with the master gardeners today included an informative lesson from MG Rich about composting.  He asked if any of us recycle at home, and several hands went up to tell him about how we recycle paper, cardboard, certain plastics, and such.  Then, he told us that composting is "nature's recycling" and it leads to the creation of nutrient rich garden soil.

 

Rich showed us samples of dirt, versus composted garden soil, and we reviewed what we had learned earlier this year about soil being better for growing plants.  He also told us a sentimental story about how he learned to compost when he was just a boy, from working with his grandfather in the family garden when he was growing up in Connecticut.  Rich shared fond memories of that time, and we enjoyed the story very much!

Rich is an avid composter, and we could tell he enjoys this hobby very much.  What's more, he told us how easy it is...and he explained it's kind of like preparing lasagna.   It's all about the layers!  We learned that good things to compost include things like leaves, grass clippings, uncooked fruits and vegetables (especially the peelings), coffee grounds and tea leaves, and even shredded paper and torn pieces of cardboard.  

Rich also explained that the compost materials need to be mixed on a regular basis, to help the process.  When the compost materials begin to break down, the temperature should be checked.  When it's around 120 degrees, it's ready to be spread in the garden!  Here, Rich was checking the temperature of the compost in the newly constructed bins at the garden.  It's not ready yet!

Rich brought some materials like leaves, grasses, paper, and cardboard so we could add them to the bin.  Dev B put the cardboard in and Rich was telling him to spread it all around.

Rich uses a large corkscrew tool to help mix the materials.  He says it's a little easier on the back!  Adia gave it a try.  Now, when we come to check on the garden, we'll include a check of the compost bin, so we can observe how the materials we added break down and become soil!

Back at the outdoor classroom, we enjoyed a snack of lemonade and lemon/thyme shortbread cookies while MG Pat told us about thyme, which was the herb of the day.  We learned that it's often used in savory dishes like pork and salmon, but of course, we loved it in the cookies Krafty Karen baked, too!  We also learned that long, long ago, thyme was used when clothing was laundered to help freshen it, and it was also believed thyme could help prevent hair loss!

Here's MG Carolyn's Journal Update for today's session.  Just beautiful, as always!  Great lesson today, MGs!  Thank you for all the interesting and unique facts we learn when visiting with you.  We really enjoyed seeing the new compost area, too.  We'll be keeping our eye on the materials we added when we visit the garden over the summer.  

There was an event taking place at the patio behind the Interpretive Center at Freedom Park, so we drove over to WISC to have lunch at the shelter there.  We had it all to ourselves, with a nice breeze, and enjoyed lunch outside.  Next, we split into groups for games.  Under the shady area near the restrooms, we set up corn hole.  In this group, Drew and Sweet T competed against Michelle and Annmarie, and each one of them scored multiple points!

We found a shady area under a tree to set up bocce.  Patrick, Erik, Alexis, and Abraham said they were just playing "for fun" so they didn't keep score!

We brought a horseshoe game we haven't played in ages.  Liz, Kevin, and Laura were wowed when Dev B scored a ringer!

Sue's family recently donated a croquet set to us, and today was the first time we tried it.  Her lessons were great!  We had fun practicing, and we'll get the hang of it as we continue to use it in the future.  Thank you for spending the day with us, Sue!  We really enjoyed hanging out with you and you were a big help! 👏👏

Wednesday

Today we welcomed Laura's mom, Lisa P, and dad, Tom, to help us out in Carol's absence.  Our Lisa took groups to volunteer at Grove.  It was a busy day!  Thank you so much, Lisa P and Tom, for spending time with us today.  It is always nice to have you lend a hand, and we appreciate everything you did for us!   Lisa P, as a retired educator, still has the touch!!  👏👏

Our Lisa took the first group to volunteer at Grove.  As usual, the first group packs food and toilet paper bags.  It's an assembly line job, and we are very good at it!  Our friends Peggy and Joel chatted with us the whole time, but we really stayed focused...as did they!

Packing the toilet paper is more challenging, because the bags are smaller, so it's a tighter fit.  We persevere, and Peggy and Joel say not to worry if it's a little wonky!  Great job today, Kevin, Xavier, Adia, Dev B, Liz, Laura, Erik, and Kate...who is missing in this picture.  Sorry, Kate!

Back at the center, Lisa P and Tom enjoyed the music as we started the day with our dance warm up.  Drew and Kate found their groove!

With Lisa P and Tom's help, we made preparations for National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  Michelle and Alexis sliced the beautiful strawberries.

Patrick measured sugar and Sweet T gave the sliced strawberries a good stir.  The strawberries were then placed in the fridge to marinate until lunchtime!

We also had a lesson on Flag Day!  After watching a video, and discussing other facts with Lisa P, we completed our brain work assignment.  Sam and Abraham were on it!

Soon, it was time to switch groups.  Abraham, Drew, Patrick, and Sweet T unpacked cans of potted meat and stacked it into cardboard trays for easier access.  When they finished, they carefully carried the trays to shelves in a storage room!

At the other end of the table, our Grove friend, Ally, taught Annmarie, Sam, Alexis, and Michelle how to fold the remaining prom gowns and put them in large plastic bags.

Next, she showed Sam and Michelle how to connect the vacuum hose and suck the excess air out so the bags would become smaller for storage.  This crew ended up with 6 bags of vacuum packed dresses!  Both of our groups were very busy at GCOC today!  👍👍

Meanwhile, the first Grove group was hard at work learning about Flag Day with Lisa P and Tom, and getting the Arc's July mailing started.  Liz taught Tom how to collate and fold the letters so they would be ready for the stuffers later!  Tom did a great job...what a great teacher Liz is!

Drew and Alexis paid close attention to the Flag Day video so they could complete their assignments correctly!

Looks like Dev B, Liz, and Kevin (and Erik, in the background), were deep in thought, too!

Adia and Xavier made sure they got the "numbers" right when it came to American flag facts!  Happy Flag Day!

After lunch, we had a delicious dessert.  Those strawberries Michelle and Alexis cut this morning were sweet and juicy, and we were very happy to celebrate Strawberry Shortcake Day!

We may not have done it the way Carol does it, but we assembled the July mailing for The Arc this afternoon.  Lisa put a few of us into small groups and we worked in stages.  Liz, Michelle, and Alexis did the "sticky" stuff - address labels and stamps!

Adia helped with a few stamps, and then she and Erik stuffed the envelopes.  Kevin did his regular job of sealing the envelopes, and before we knew it, the job was done!  Be sure to check the calendar, complete your sign up sheet, and return it to Kellie at the Arc office before the deadline!  July has great activities you can join, including a Bingo Night, a Bowling Night, and a Dance Party!

We ended the day with a fun lesson for Pop Goes the Weasel Day (it's a thing, on June 14th!), which honors the nursery rhyme that originated over 300 years ago!  We learned facts about actual weasels, like their bite is really powerful for such a small mammal.  But the real fun came when we played a fun variation of the song, in which not only does a monkey chase the weasel, but so do a dog, cat, frog, rabbit, and lizard!  This is one of Drew's favorite songs, and he had a great time dancing to this one with his friends!

Thursday

We began today with an interesting lesson about wind energy since it's Global Wind Day.  We learned that it is a renewable resource for producing electricity, just like sun and water are!  Wind is becoming more widely used to generate electricity in our country, and that is a good thing. We also learned that other sources of energy, called fossil fuels, include coal, oil, and natural gas.  They are not renewable, because we will eventually run out of them.

Later in the morning we celebrated National Megalodon Day!  What a huge shark that was...millions of years ago!  We learned that one theory about its extinction says that maybe its main rival for food, the Great White Shark, was faster, and during the Ice Age, as prey became more scarce, was able to beat the megalodon to it.   We even watched the classic trailer to the film Jaws, and no one wanted to leave the room (except Lisa)! 

After lunch, Kellie (The Arc's Programs and Volunteer Coordinator) came by to help us put together special treat bags for some special guys!  Hint:  There is a day to celebrate them coming up on Sunday!  Thank you for your help this afternoon, Kellie!  We appreciated the extra set of hands since Carol wasn't available due to being in Sweden!  You did a great job helping us with this important project, and we enjoyed visiting with you, too!

Sweet T and Laura were very engaged in making part of their projects very colorful!

Another part of the project involved assembling the beautiful cards that were in kits made for us by MG Krafty Karen.  She cut several pieces and also stamped pretty pictures on some of them, and once we glued all of them together, it was beautiful.  Liz carefully put a piece in place on her card.

Nan helped Kevin get glue on the card parts, since that is a little tricky (and sticky) for him.  He pressed each part and held it while the glue set.  Krafty Karen, these are very beautiful cards, and they helped us add an important personal touch to our projects.  Thank you very, very much for making sure each of us got one.  Your handiwork is amazing!

Happy Father's Day, a few days early!  We wonder if our guys will wait to surprise their dads, stepdads, grandpas, and other special father figures on Sunday...or if they will give them the treats now?!?!

Friday

Today we welcomed Tracy as our substitute for Carol.  She was up to the task of taking this gang to Pet Supplies Plus for a work morning!  In fact, they worked so hard cleaning, tending to animals, and scanning labels for inventory, that this is the only picture Tracy took.  That's OK, Tracy.  We know you guys were busy, and this is a GREAT picture!

The rest of the gang was busy at AFCC.  We're relocating to Freedom Park next week, and to the Rec Center on Longhill Road the week after that, so we packed and got some things prepared that we will need, such as these colorful letters Kate, Laura, and others worked on.  They will become part of a large banner we're making next week!

We cooked our meat for Sloppy Joes yesterday, so all we had to do today was prep salads and heat frozen corn.  Nan and Liz got the salads ready for us.  Tomorrow is National Eat Your Vegetables Day, and we are pretty good about doing just that!  These salads were full of colorful veggies, including fresh lettuce and arugula that Krafty Karen harvested for us at the garden on Tuesday.  So delicious!!

We celebrated the first day of no school for students, which means we can access the gym pretty much anytime, or at least until a Parks & Rec program starts!  (Then, we share.)  Michelle, Xavier, and Sweet T wanted to throw the basketballs at Lisa, but they were just kidding.  Annmarie was not angry...she was trying to look "sassy" for the picture!

Xavier was excited about having a Sloppy Joe (on a gluten-free bun) and fresh salad for lunch!  Adia was helping to serve salad dressing, and in the background, Lisa and Nan prepped the Sloppy Joes.

We added cooked corn as another veggie today, and doesn't our plate look scrumptious?!  😋  Eat your veggies!! 🥗🌽

Since we ate our veggies today, we felt it was OK if we made a batch of peanut butter fudge to celebrate National Fudge Day!  We only had 1 piece each, and Lisa will bring the leftovers for us to enjoy at Freedom Park on Tuesday!  ✅

Do you know what's sweeter than peanut butter fudge?  Zooming with Karryna!! 💗  She loves her new job at Sheltering Arms in Richmond, where she said she "does pretty much the kinds of things" we do at AoA with her group of adults with physical disabilities.  We want to make a plan to visit Karryna and maybe do an activity with her group one day!  We're proud of you, Karryna!

 

And since this is our only picture with Tracy in it from today, we want to give her a huge thank you for helping us, especially for taking the PSP group to work!  She also helped us load a few (haha) things onto the van that we will need while at our relocation spots.  She'll deliver them to us on Tuesday morning at Freedom Park.  We appreciate you, Tracy!

We haven't posted a yoga pic in a while, so here we are, getting ready to relax after a busy Friday.  We'll miss yoga for the next two weeks since we aren't going to schlep our mats on the road.  

That's a wrap on another fun week at the Arc of Abilities.  We're ready for the challenge of being relocated for a couple of weeks.  Let's hope we packed everything we'll need!

Here's how things should play out next week at Freedom Park:

Tuesday:  We will kick off our week at Freedom Park quite routinely with our Dance Warm Up, followed by a blog check.  If the weather cooperates, we'll celebrate Hike with a Geek Day on one of the trails available to us at the park.  After an early lunch, we'll head over to The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg for a lesson with Christina!  Bring your own lunch.  Arc shirts optional.

Wednesday:  The highlight of Day 2 at Freedom Park will be a visit with our therapy dogs and friends, who are happy to meet us at our temporary spot.  Let's all wish for good weather!  We'll have lessons on both Skateboarding Day (today) and International Surfing Day (yesterday), but we won't actively participate in either sport!  We'll watch some cool video clips, though!  It's also the first official day of summer, so there will be Summer Bingo, too!  Bring your own lunch.  

Thursday:  We have a special treat today:  Arc Board President Sue Hassan is treating us to a lunch of salad, pasta salad, grilled chicken, and watermelon!  Thank you, Sue!  We will look forward to enjoying a delicious lunch with you!  It's Chocolate Eclair Day, so we're going to top off lunch with a no-bake eclair cake, too.  In other activities today, we will watch the movie version of our latest read-aloud, Harriet the Spy, enjoy being outside (if it's not too warm), and play trivia games.

Friday:  We're in for another special treat:  Laura's parents, Lisa P and Tom, are helping us have a "Camping" theme today!  We will have activities and lessons centered around camping and wildfires.  Let's hope for nice weather, as Lisa P and Tom plan to make grilled hot dogs for lunch and show us how to put together a tasty homemade trail mix!  It's also National Pink Day, so we will add some "pink" side dishes for lunch, and you can feel free to wear pink!  No yoga today, as we won't have our mats, or enough space.

Time to gear up for the Women of the Moose's 8th Annual Golf Tournament!  Moose Patti and all of our WOTM friends are working hard to make this a very successful FUNdraiser, as it always is!  Contact Lisa for more info on supporting this wonderful event.  Thank you! 

We hope you have the date on your calendar:  Saturday, August 5th!  We need Arc Ambassadors to ride around on golf carts spreading good cheer and appreciation!

This weekend we send very Happy Father's Day wishes to all the special dads, stepdads, grandpas, and other father figures in our AoA Family!  We appreciate all of you and hope you have a beautiful day!

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang