What a week we experienced to bring in December! It began with a celebration of Carol's birthday and our monthly bowling/pizza outing on Tuesday. We followed that on Wednesday by volunteering at Grove and also hosting a big luncheon to celebrate the retirement of Parks & Rec's former director, and to welcome the new director. We sort of caught our breath on Thursday, and on Friday we worked at the pet store and had a fun time celebrating St. Nicholas Day. Welcome, December!
Tuesday, December 3
We had our last bowling visit for 2024 today. The folks at Bowlero always welcome us and everyone has a good time. Wendy, the manager, was at a meeting today so we didn't get to wish her "Happy Holidays," but we told the others and thanked them for another great year!
Except for Tessa, everyone was here today. We're thinking that we'll ask for 5 lanes instead of 4 in 2025! When all are here, we have to put five players on a couple of lanes, and that can slow down our games just a bit. It doesn't slow down our fun, though!
Did we mention it was a very chilly start to the week so we brought our big box of pizzas back to the center where we celebrated Carol's birthday? She kicks off the Winter Birthday season for us! It's not quite as busy as the Fall Birthday Season, but we'll make the most of it! We would once again like to thank our anonymous donor, who has sponsored our bowling day pizza each of the even-numbered months of this year. What a generous sponsorship it was! We hope the donor has seen our happy faces over the year. Bowling is lots of fun, but we sure do look forward to the pizza lunch afterward!!!
Carol chose cherry cobbler for her birthday treat and guess what? She even baked them this morning while we were busy making her cards! Thank you, Carol. The cobblers were delicious and it was fun to have something a little different! We hope all your wishes come true, and we thank you for all that you do for our wonderful AoA program!
After our celebration of Carol, we had about 1 hour left in the day and we spent it getting our calendar updated and starting the room makeover for December. Yes, it was like Santa's workshop as we all chipped in to add a bit of holiday flair to the room in time for the big luncheon we're hosting tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 4
It was all hands on deck this morning. We volunteered at the JRES Library and then sent a group to volunteer at GCOC while the rest of us handled the final preparations for the luncheon. We like being busy!
Our Grove group bagged the canned goods and then bagged onions, apples, and oranges, too!
Thank you, Ursula, for your meringue cookie treat! Your baking always puts smiles on our faces!
Our team at AFCC was busy turning our room into a retirement luncheon venue! We were grateful for Allison's help today. She put the ornaments on our tree. Isn't it great?!
We also appreciated Tracy for coming early to help us get ready. She worked with our team to decorate the board for John Carnifax, the now retired director of JCC Parks & Recreation. Our luncheon today was to celebrate his contributions to our community and to thank him for his support of The Arc!
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" to take a movement break in the hallway after our busy morning. We were ready for our guests, and our tummies were starting to growl!
Pam introduced John and he spoke briefly about how happy he was to meet us, and that he's glad we have been in AFCC for over 8 years. If we weren't here, the space would be empty all day!
Our "venue" for the luncheon looks nice! In the back of this picture, in the pink jacket, is Arlana Fauntleroy, the new Director of Parks & Rec. She is a big supporter of The Arc, and is also happy we are able to utilize this space.
Pam presented John with a gift of appreciation, as his wife, Ann, looked on with a proud smile!
Lunch was catered by Anna's Brick Oven Pizza, and it was delicious! We enjoyed salad, lasagna, and garlic bread, followed by a delicious slice of John's retirement cake!
John, we thank you for your support of The Arc and the Arc of Abilities for the past 8 years. We are grateful for your contributions to our community of James City County. Our Parks & Rec programs are amazing! We wish you all the best in your retirement!
We took a moment to celebrate the birthdays of The Arc's Sue, one of our favorite substitutes (and Patrick's mom), whose birthday is today, as well as our Carol...who was celebrated yesterday, but who's counting!
We hope all your wishes come true, Sue! We thank you for your enduring support of us, and for all you do for The Arc, too! Patrick was so happy you were able to join us on your special day! 💙
Thursday, December 5
Today was more or less a chill day as we weren't facing any deadlines to prepare for an event or complete a last minute project. Here are a few shots from our breather of a day!
Bryan donated a couple of Christmas Countdown calendars so we are taking turns opening the sections each day. We are saving the chocolates until our holiday party on December 20th.
We started some holiday cookie making with a no bake recipe.
Yesterday was National Sock Day, so we played the Sock Game!
We're excited to have put the finishing touches on our family gifts...with two weeks to spare! We also made dancing reindeer and gingerbread people to add to our room decorations.
Drew entertained us with his "Partridge in a Pear Tree" dance routine, which then inspired Sam to show some of his moves while others sang-along! It's safe to say our guys are getting into the holiday spirit!
We listened to a couple of chapters from Stargirl, and ended the day with an episode from Gilligan's Island in which Santa pays a visit to the castaways! Always lots of laughs when we tune in to Gilligan and friends. Our guys appreciate the oldies!
Friday, December 6
We had a good work day all around! One crew stayed at the center where we organized our tubs of pencils, markers, and glue sticks.
Meanwhile, our PSP crew did a great job at the store. We are very grateful for the skills we have learned by stocking the shelves. Thank you Scott and Roxanne for believing in us. We missed you today, but heard it was a special day for you, so Happy Anniversary!!
Our gang loves to show off dog toys and Christmas coats!
We love working with Brittany, too. Today she surprised us with a nice letter of appreciation and cupcakes! How nice of her! Thanks again Scott, Roxanne, and all of the wonderful staff at PSP for the great opportunity. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2025!!
We didn't take pictures, but our lunch consisted of delicious leftover lasagna and salad from Wednesday's luncheon! 😋 Thanks, Pam, for leaving the leftovers with us!
After lunch, we tapped our inner-child as we learned about the legend of St. Nicholas, who was known for his kindness and generosity, and was the inspiration for our modern-day Santa Claus. December 6 is St. Nicholas Day, so we set our shoes out, filled with carrots for his horse, and waited to see if we would get treats. We did! We also talked about doing kind and/or generous things for others this weekend!
It was definitely too cold and windy to take a walk at the park today, so we ended the week with Jaime and yoga. Listening to her calm voice, and stretching after a busy week, always works wonders. We floated out the door to begin our weekend!
We have some fun adventures on the calendar for next week. Here's a look at our plans:
Tuesday: Today we are visiting Mike at The Watermen's Museum in Yorktown for our final 2024 lesson with him. He promises yuletide fun and lots of singing! The weather forecast looks iffy. It's going to be warmer, but it might rain. Bring a bagged lunch just in case we can eat outside and take a walk around town. 🤞
Wednesday: We volunteer at GCOC this morning, so please wear Arc shirts. It's National Stretching Day, so after an early lunch we will head over to APEX-PT / Rock Steady Boxing for a holiday themed workout session with our friends Kelly, Scott, and Bret! (Dress to stretch with your Arc shirts.) Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is offering Roasted Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy or Hot Dog.
Thursday: Happy Birthday, Emma! Yep, we have one more birthday in 2024 to celebrate (among our members)! We're also going to celebrate National Ding-a-Ling Day by calling some friends we haven't spoken with in a while. If the weather cooperates, we'll travel to Colonial Williamsburg after lunch for a scavenger hunt (thanks for the idea, master gardeners) to find unique herbs, fruits, and veggies that are used to make their decorations. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is offering Domino's pizza, deli sub, or chef salad. We'll also have a sweet treat for Emma's birthday! 💗
Friday: Today we will celebrate our partnership with Eaton, so please wear your work shirts. We will work for a while, and then our friends there are treating us to a holiday pizza luncheon. It's going to be a joyful day! Please wear Eaton shirts. Weather permitting, we'll walk off the pizza at the park, so don't forget your jackets!
Reminder! This fun celebration of the amazing food drive is coming up next Friday!
Have a great weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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