We had another great week filled with wonderful experiences. There was bowling and pizza for lunch on Tuesday. One group volunteered at GCOC while the other group toured Trader Joe's on Wednesday. We had a great time with Mike from the Watermen's Museum on Thursday, and we worked at Eaton on Friday. Our biggest highlight this week, though, was celebrating Annmarie's birthday on Wednesday with a delightful luncheon sponsored by her parents! Check out our great week...
Tuesday
When we go to the bowling center, it's a good time to check the garden at nearby Freedom Park, so that's where we began our day. We were last there a month ago, and saw a few signs of spring, but when we checked today, we found even more! Dev B, Patrick, Drew, and Alexis noticed this Chinese Redbud tree right away. It was full of blooms.
This is a close up of the blooms that grow right out of the branches and trunk. They almost looked like they had been glued on!
Near the Chinese Redbud, Adia spotted pretty white blooms on this tree called Bridal Wreath Spirea. When we were here last month, these flowers were buds.
"Wow," thought Dev T, Abraham, and Cameron when they saw the turnip greens!
Around the butterfly bed, we noticed a fragrant aroma. Upon closer inspection, Xavier, Sam, and Liz confirmed it was the hyacinths! So sweet-smelling! We will be back to check the garden the first week of April (if not before), and we begin our spring sessions with the MGs on April 11th. We can't wait to see how much more color will be in bloom by then! We hope March doesn't get too cold...
Bowling got off to a great start when very early on, Sweet T and Drew rolled the first two strikes of the day!
We like to watch each other take turns, and there are always a lot of positive comments to be heard.
We enjoy the social time at bowling. (We see you, Laura!)
On an "Arc shirts optional" day, Annmarie wore a bowling shirt! So cute! Happy Birthday Eve, Annmarie!
The weather turned out to be sunny, but chilly and quite breezy, so we went to the garden before bowling and came back to the center after, instead of attempting a picnic at the park. We picked up pizzas from Domino's, and wish to thank Liz and the Kline Family for treating us today! It really hits the spot, and we have come to love the tradition of bowling and pizza. We are grateful for these special times!
After Choice Time, we collaboratively created these thank you cards. Everyone helped color pictures to use, and together we brainstormed ideas for the notes on the inside. We enjoy coming up with a "just right" message for those who do generous and thoughtful things that enhance our program. 💘
The "lasagna pot" of bulbs we planted with the MGs last October continues to surprise us with new blooms. This week, there are more fragrant hyacinths and a couple of daffodils. We can see the buds popping up for a few tulips, too! It's a beautiful splash of color on our side door "porch!"
On the way home today, Liz and Lexi represented our gang as we dropped the stuffed eggs to Coach Teri for her neighborhood's egg hunt. We told her we appreciated being trusted with the job, and she thanked us for getting it done! Thanks again, Teri, for advocating for our group to do this job. We will enjoy a trip to mini-golf with our earnings!
Wednesday
Prior to the official start to our fabulous day, Liz and Alexis scooted down to the JRES Library for a speed round of shelving books. They did a great job!
Once the day officially began, it played out in 3 excellent parts! In Part 1, Lisa took a group to Trader Joe's for a tour. Patty did an incredible job showing us how TJ's works, and we loved being behind the scenes! We began by looking at a map and learning that Trader Joe's receives products to sell from all over the world.
We played the game where we searched for colorful produce so we could learn how healthy they are for us. Annmarie, Sam, and Nan were on the lookout for purple fruits and veggies, because purple is Annmarie's favorite color!
We were proud to tell Patty that we "eat a rainbow" regularly at the Arc of Abilties!
In another game, we found a variety of products from the grocery aisles and checked the labels to see where they originated. Patrick found that the Pastry Pups are from the Netherlands! (They look like what we call "Pigs in a Blanket.") Yummy!
As our last group learned, Trader Joe's stocks their dairy products from within the refrigerator. While we were in the fridge, Dev T was put to work stocking milk! When he noticed that shoppers could be seen through the cartons, he said "Hello, out there!"
TJ employee Sharon, shown in front of Nan, and Kristin, the store manager, joined us for the last part of the tour, and between them and Patty, we really had an amazing experience! (Kristin took this picture.) Everyone got a reusable bag with some goodies in it, and Sharon even packed a bag with some of the products we found on our scavenger hunt so we could enjoy them back at the center with our other friends!
Check out what Patty and the TJ Team did when it was time for us to have a treat. Of course, Annmarie's friends made sure they knew it was her birthday... and TJ's delivered! (See the bouquet of flowers she's holding in the previous photo?!) What a great organization! Thank you, Trader Joe's, for welcoming us, and giving us an awesome tour. We loved every minute of it!
In Part 2 of the AoA's marvelous day, Carol took a group to GCOC for our second volunteering experience with them. A truck delivers food for the pantry on Wednesdays, and here, Laura can be seen leading the way as we helped to offload it.
We set up these tables, and then we set up the assembly line at which we would soon work to pack the food. The volunteer in the pink is Ursula, and she was a good trainer (even if we didn't need much training for this...Thank you, Eaton, for years of experiences that brought us to points like this!)
Once the assembly line was set up, we quickly got the bags filled with nonperishable goods. Look at us rolling along!
Today is International Women's Day, so all of our AoA women posed with Katie, Lucy, and Allison from GCOC. Girl Power!
Then they let the guys join in for this great shot. It was another fun-filled and busy day of volunteering at Grove Christian Outreach, and we couldn't be happier or more proud!
After a morning of learning and service, we all reunited at the AFCC for Part 3 of today's excellent adventure - Annmarie's Birthday Celebration! We are thankful for lunch that was provided by Annmarie's parents, Teresa and Andy. It was fried chicken from Publix (Annmarie's favorite) and fresh veggies. They provided scrumptious cupcakes and sodas, too, which made this a treat over the top, and we loved it!
When it was time to enjoy the colorful cupcakes, we gathered to sing to our sweet Annmarie, who didn't mind that it was the second time today she heard this tune! Happy Birthday, Annmarie, and may all your wishes come true!
Annmarie loves to make crafts, so we continued her celebration by making colorful caterpillars to add to our spring room decorations.
We punched holes in the leaves to represent how caterpillars love to eat. That reminded us of the beloved classic children's story that we all remember, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.
So we found a short animated version and ended the day on a pleasant note with a throwback to our "younger" days!
Thursday
Today was all about showing our appreciation to Mike Steen, Director of Education at the Watermen's Museum! Mike has been welcoming us to the Watermen's for over a year, and engaging us in lessons that are always fun and productive! We were busy most of the morning preparing lunch and decorating, and didn't take pictures of all that! 😉 We also can't believe we forgot to get a group shot with Mike, but here are a few pics and a great couple of videos from our fun-filled time with him!
Mike came a little early so he could share some facts about St. Patrick's Day. We learned that Irish immigrants brought traditions like religious services and feasts to honor St. Patrick to America, but it was here that St. Patrick's Day became the big celebration it is now with shamrocks, leprechauns, and all things green!
We decorated paper shamrocks and then Mike got out his bodhran, which is a type of drum used in Irish music. He got a good beat going, started singing, and some of our guys couldn't resist getting on their feet!
Here it is on video! We have mentioned before how musically talented Mike is. He has a beautiful voice!
We made ourselves "crazy with hunger" this morning as we sauteed onions, browned ground beef, and cooked bacon, too...all to go into our cheeseburger casserole. The aroma was overwhelming! We added baked sweet potato fries and fresh fruit for a lunch that Mike said hit the spot! 😋
Our time with Mike culminated with our presentation of what we call a "compliment poem." We recently did one for the master gardeners and had so much fun, we had to write one for Mike. Everyone brainstormed words that describe him that begin with the letters M-I-K-E, and we turned them into fun to read sentences. Today, Alexis, Kate, Adia, and Liz did the honors. Mike loves word play, and he loved our presentation! It was a wonderful day!
Friday
We weren't thrilled with the weather this morning, but it didn't stop the birds from having breakfast on us. They are eating us out of house and home these days! We love observing them, and each week we look for new ones to appear. Soon, it will be time to put out hummingbird nectar!
The overcast and chilly weather didn't stop us from getting to Eaton for a work day, either! Hello, James! Thank you for bringing us work to do, but hurry and close that garage door because it's cold outside!
Liz, Adia, and Alexis clipped small pieces off of these white plates. Both the small piece and the larger plate will be used by Eaton assemblers.
Kevin, Drew, Dev B, and Sam worked on a couple of tasks. They sorted parts and also snapped small pieces off of larger ones. Erik was very quietly working with this group, off to the side. We inadvertently left him out of the picture, but we assure you he was working hard! He can be seen in the video below! Sorry, Erik.
Xavier worked steadily at his table, unpacking small pieces from plastic bags.
We snapped this photo of Laura, Kate, Michelle, Abraham, and Dev T right before Abraham and Dev jumped up to dance! All of them were singing except Laura, who takes her work time very seriously!
Here's a video of us working and singing...and dancing! You'll spot Erik (and Laura) working very diligently in this!
Back at the center, we had a crew work on preparing The Arc's April mailing. You'll want to check the April calendar for many fun experiences, including the Spring Carnival at W&M and a basketball clinic with the W&M women's team! Fill out your sign up sheet and return it to the Arc office as soon as you can!
Our week ended with Jaime's "Yoga Dance Party," which had us moving to some great beats!
Next week will be special as we celebrate the 7th Anniversary of the Arc of Abilities on March 16! We'll also welcome our entire therapy dog group back, and have a little fun for St. Patrick's Day! It's going to be great!
Tuesday: The weather may force us to bundle up for part of today's outing, but we are going to Jamestown Settlement for a bit of history and a good walk. Having lunch at the cafe won unanimously in a vote with having a picnic, so please bring $10 for lunch. 😃 We are going as an official Arc of GW group, so please wear Arc shirts, too.
Wednesday: Today we welcome back the entire therapy dog group of 6 handlers and 6 or 7 dogs (if Pip and Indy come together) for a visit that will include reading, a bird scavenger hunt, and of course, socializing! We are excited to resume our monthly visits with them after a brief hiatus to start the year. We'll also begin preparations for tomorrow's celebration! Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is available and is serving Cheesy Pasta Supreme or Sub of the Day.
Thursday: Happy 7th Anniversary to the Arc of Abilities today! We have come a long way since our beginnings in 2016, including spreading our wings with vocational opportunities. That's why we will send a work crew to Pet Supplies Plus first thing this morning, while the cooking crew remains at AFCC to prepare our luncheon. We'll celebrate after our work is done! Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Fresh Fruit, and Anniversary Cupcakes are on the menu. We'll also welcome Pam, our executive director! Please wear PSP shirts today!
Friday: We can't help it if St. Patrick's Day comes the day after our AoA anniversary, so there will be more fun and celebrating today! We'll make our traditional Blarney Stone cookies the way we did back in 2016 using a pizza warming appliance that Drew's family donated! We'll also have a Mystery Science lesson that explores how rainbows are formed, and we'll end the day with yoga. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is serving Corn Dog Nuggets or Cheeseburger. Dress to stretch, too!
Don't forget to "Spring Forward" and enjoy the shortened weekend!
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
