We had a fun-filled week as we got ever more excited for our upcoming Winter Break! Highlights included: sharing goodies with many of our friends and community partners (and receiving some goodies ourselves); catching up with "old" friends, either by phone or in-person; and completing another great year of work at Pet Supplies Plus. We had a blast every day!
Tuesday, December 12
This morning we celebrated Ding-a-Ling Day! This is a day to reconnect by calling people you haven't spoken with in a while. We made calls to our former intern, Lilly, who attends grad school in Nashville; our friend from Colombia, Sandra, who is soon moving to Portugal; and our friend Karryna, who used to work with Tracy but is now in Richmond. We put smiles on their faces!
We also baked cookies to deliver to our community partners this week, and in the middle of that, we got a special delivery from Nancy's brother and sister-in-law, Randy and Sally...they gave us a beautiful box of Cheryl's Cookies! Randy was not feeling well so we couldn't visit with them, but we were thrilled with the beautiful cookies and took time to send Randy and Sally a special thank you note!
Thank you, Randy and Sally, for treating us to Cheryl's Cookies!
Indoor fitness - elf style! We also did an indoor walk...did we mention we ate one of Cheryl's cookies?!
After lunch we stopped by Grove Christian Outreach Center to deliver a handmade card and a few of our cookies, plus some tasty cranberry and orange bread Carol had baked. We got to see Ally and Moose! (See pic at top of post.) From there, we headed to Colonial Williamsburg where we caught a ride on the shuttle over to the Williamsburg Lodge to check out this year's gingerbread creation. It's a gorgeous Victorian dollhouse! We also got in another good walk. Even though it was a little bit chilly, it was sunny and not windy, so perfect for a walk!
There are 2,500 homemade chocolate wafer "shingles" on this gingerbread dollhouse!
Wednesday, December 13
Today's highlights were having a surprise guest pop in, and celebrating the holiday season with the therapy dogs! First, Kendall arrived and it was great to see her again. She is a freshman at NC State now, and the last time we worked with her was the summer of 2022 when she did a senior project for high school by working with us. Her dad, Adam, is on The Arc's Board of Directors, and we've been friends with Kendall for years. Now, she's in college studying education and special education! Shortly after Kendall arrived the therapy dogs came, and being with them and the handlers was so much fun, as always. Here are lots of pictures that tell the story of our fantastic day!
Our dog handler friends brought us a gift! Abraham and Drew opened it and discovered...
Lots of boxes of fresh crayons! Boy, can we use them in 2024! Thank you, therapy dog friends, for this needed gift. We will put the new crayons to good use on our many projects! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Kendall, Caroline, Pip, and Indy with Liz and Kevin
Laura, Sam, and Abraham with Carol S. and Casey
Vicky and Aubree with Annmarie and Michelle
Xavier, Devin, and Kate with Karen and Tessa
Tessa, Alexis, and Drew read with therapy dog Aja
Leo and Kent with Patrick and Erik
After reading, we played a Jeopardy-like game called North Pole Pals and then enjoyed social time and singing. We celebrated National Cocoa Day with hot chocolate and cookies, then were led in a sing-a-long by Kent, who brought his guitar!
Carol served delicious hot chocolate at our decorated table! We had regular and gluten-free cookies, and Kendall brought homemade Rice Krispie treats, too. Thanks, Kendall! They were very good and we loved the Christmas colors in the Rice Krispies!
We sang several Christmas carols accompanied by Kent on guitar, including Silent Night.
Carol S. sings with the Williamsburg Women's Chorus Choraliers group, and she has such a pretty voice. She and Kent sang O, Holy Night.
Thank you, therapy dog friends, for a great year, and a really wonderful morning! We wish you all a Merry and Bright Holiday Season!
Thanks, Kendall, for spending the morning with us! We know how busy college students can be when home on break. We're so proud of you and look forward to your next update on college life!
Thursday, December 14
We had a great time today with two of our favorite guys! First, we visited Mike at the Watermen's Museum where we had a fun lesson about Christmas traditions, and made sweet-smelling pomanders to take home. Since Mike is a crooner, we knew we'd be singing Christmas Carols with him, and we did! Back at the center, we were joined by Artist Jeff after lunch for a lesson on using oil pastels to draw wintry scenes on colorful paper for making cards. As always, he was encouraging, made us giggle with his quick wit, and worked patiently with us until our pictures were just right. Our busy day with Mike and Jeff was just delightful! Carol was absent today, so we welcomed Pat's mom, Sue, to substitute. She enjoyed being with us for our fun with Mike and Jeff. Thanks, Sue! We appreciate your help today!!
Since Sue was an earlybird, she got trained on how to apply gaskets on Eaton parts!
Mike had the Carriage House set up for our traditions activities, and it smelled so good in there with all the greenery and spices!
We decorated limes with cloves and fresh greenery to make our pomanders.
We also made a Wish Chain where we listed wishes for ourselves and others.
Singing with Mike today! Here's our rendition of "Silver Bells" complete with...bells!
Thank you, Mike, for another amazing year of learning, fishing, fun projects, and more! We love our time at the Watermen's Museum with you, and look forward to our continued partnership in 2024!
Back at the center, we completed a thank-you card for Nina, Sam's grandmother and our sweet friend, who is sending us a Domino's gift card to use for some of our pizza lunches next year! Nina, we are very grateful for your thoughtful gift. You know we LOVE pizza, and we know you LOVE your grandson, so here's a picture for you!
We were thrilled to have a visit from Artist Jeff today. He touched base with Lisa over the weekend and said he wanted to see us one more time in 2023, and could we squeeze in a visit before Winter Break?? Of course, we could! He brought oil pastels and gave us a drawing lesson so we could create winter scenes where the snowmen, trees, houses, and such would appear to be in the distance, nearby, and close up. (Background, middle ground, and foreground.)
Thank you, Jeff, for a creative and fun-filled 2023! The projects you helped us make stretched our imaginations and showed us the talent we all have! We can't wait to see what 2024 brings with you!
Friday, December 15
Today was busy, busy at Pet Supplies Plus and at the center! We worked hard at both places, and then enjoyed a sweet visit from therapy dog Marlo and his handler, Lena. We haven't seen them for a while because Lena is in grad school and has a tough schedule, but she was able to stop by today and we loved it! Our day ended with a relaxing yoga and "Peace Out" session with Jaime. We then said our good-byes and headed home for a 2 day weekend, since we are having a special Monday session next week! With only three AoA days to go until Winter Break...to say our guys are getting excited would be an understatement. 🎄🎄🎄
The Pet Supplies Plus Crew loves to showcase holiday gifts for your pets! Hi, Scott! Thanks to you and Roxanne for a fabulous year of vocational experiences! Happy Holidays to the wonderful Pet Supplies Plus team!
Sweet, little gray kittens up for adoption at PSP!
Devin's parents, the owners of PSP, gave us a grocery gift card for the holidays! We are very thankful for this generous gift, Scott and Roxanne. It will come in handy after Winter Break when we hope to try some new recipes for our cooking experiences!
Devin and today's PSP Crew with the gift card we were given by Scott and Roxanne at PSP. We didn't open the card at the store, so we didn't get a picture with them, but we want them to know we are thrilled with their generous gift!
We were also thrilled to have pasta leftovers from last week's Arc Holiday Dinner Dance. Thanks, Pam, for sending it to us, and thanks to Drew's mom, Donna, for keeping it in her freezer until we could serve it today!
Merry Christmas, Tracy! Tessa and all of us are always happy to see you!
Welcome, Lena and Marlo! It was so nice to see you today!
Lena read us a fun Christmas story about a dog who joined Santa's team of reindeer!
Thanks for the lebkuchen and candy cane treats, Lena! We wish you, Marlo, and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We have a special and fun 3 day week on the horizon before Winter Break begins. Don't forget we are coming on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then beginning our break on Thursday! Here are our plans:
Monday: We're taking a surprise holiday outing today, which we told the gang about on Friday. Carol has graciously invited us for a Movie Day at her in-home theater, which can accommodate all of us! We'll watch a holiday movie (with coloring and puzzles for those who need/want a break), play games, and enjoy a lunch of sub sandwiches, chips, fruit, and brownies, courtesy of several of our families. Thank you, Carol, and our "Monday Party Families" for making this fun day possible. (We haven't been to Carol's Theater since before Covid. It's so much fun!) No "dress code" this week, either!!
Tuesday: Today we will welcome our beloved Christina from The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg so we can celebrate her birthday, which we love to do here at the center each December! She insists on bringing all the supplies and helping us create a beautiful holiday craft, too. She's a rock star! We will treat her to a delicious breakfast for lunch meal, followed by celebratory cupcakes! We have a fun activity for after lunch that we think she will love, too! It's going to be an incredible day!
Wednesday: We'll have one big party all day today, as we celebrate the holidays and our friendships with a potluck luncheon and Secret Santa gift exchange! Thank you to our "Wednesday Party Families" for sending favorite appetizer-type dishes today. There will also be music, dancing, and games. We look forward to the day all year!
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We truly cannot thank our families enough for their support of all the fun activities we enjoy. We are blessed and spoiled, and we strive to give back to the community through our vocational and volunteer opportunities each year. We hope we strike a good balance!
Happy Weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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