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| A note from Dad Ashley | |||
| Monday, July 29 | Tuesday, July 30 | Wednesday, July 31 | |
| Thursday, August 1 | Friday, August 2 | Saturday, August 3 | |
| Sunday, August 4 | Monday, August 5 | Tuesday, August 6 | |
| Wednesday, August 7 | Thursday, August 8 | Friday, August 9 | |
| Saturday, August 10 | Sunday, August 11 | Supreme Session Wrap-Up | |
| Dad Ashley's Outback Adventure | Waltzing Vanessa | Supreme Inner Guard's Report | |
| The two links below are from the Queensland Website. Jennifer Nielsen is the webmaster there and is doing an outstanding job. |
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| Queensland Supreme Session Diary | Vanessa Fowler's Report from Session | ||
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Okay folks, regardless of what the picture to the left might look like, let me set the record straight right off the bat, I am not in Australia and I will not be there for the Session. Due to nature of my illness that hit me back in March, I am not being allowed to fly. Although the doctors have cleared me to do just about anything else that I was doing before my illness, they are adamant about no flying. I searched for alternatives, and as much as I wanted to be down under for Supreme Session, there weren't any sea going automobiles in any of the car dealerships, and neither was I willing to sign up for a 4 year hitch in the Navy just to get a free ride on a ship. So, I am unable to do my Session Diary . . . or am I? Thanks to my many friends both in and from Australia, I just might be able to pull this off. They will be sending me reports about the session and I will be posting them here. So it a certain way, I will "virtually" be at Supreme Session. Therefore you might just see a few pictures like this one where you see me virtually Down Under. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
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Well the Session is still a week away and I really wasn't expecting anything quite yet, but several folks are already Down Under and are having a great time. Liz Taber, Miss Missouri Job's Daughters, sent us this note at 3:56 a.m. Monday morning. Now don't worry, Liz wasn't out and about at all hours of the morning because 3:56 a.m. here is 6:56 p.m. Monday evening at Session. Many thanks to Liz for her e-mail:
Hey Dad Ashley!!!!
We just got to Australia this morning...I mean tonight... I mean, oh I don't know what I mean.. : ) Australia is very pretty, but very cold (considering it's winter here! : ) ) We miss you and we wish that you would be able to be with us!!! With us on our plane was Mom Marlene Frakes, AND some Jobie girls from Indiana. That was cool! Then we got to meet Jobies from Colorado, and Wyoming. We were able to cruise down Underwood St. This morning, and we thought of you, so we decided to send you this little note! Amy's coming in next Monday, so that should be exciting!! I can't wait for Supreme!!!! Well, G'Day for now!!
Liz Taber
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Hey there everybody. I received this note from Liz Taber. Hey Liz, you better watch out for those "Roo Burgers" girl :)
Dad Ashley,
Today we took a Ferry to the Taronga Zoo. It was soooo cool!!! We saw all these animals that are native to Australia and you don't see in our Zoo. Then we took the Ferry back to the Harbor, and went shopping. It was tiring, (and painful, due to an Ultimate Frisbee accident earlier :)) Tonight we went to Hard Rock Cafe and had "Roo Burgers" for dinner. What an interesting experience!!! It's really exciting to be in a whole new country with some different customs AND words!!! Well, I've got to go!! More Job's are coming, and it's exciting to meet them from all over!!! I'll talk to you later!!!
Jobie Love,
Liz Taber
Stacy Hoogstraten sends us this note. Many thanks to her. Stacy, you and Kirsten have a safe trip Down Under.
Ashley,
Kirsten and I leave at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. We will locate a computer and also provide updates. Kirsten is attending a Bethel meeting Friday
night at Bethel 3, Queensland. Take care of yourself. A Jobie gathering won't be the same without you. Of course you can save it all up and really cut loose in Chicago! Jobie love to you, Toni, Kim and Katie,
Stacy Hoogstraten
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Pam Henderson, the Grand Guardian of Kansas, sent this note. Thanks to her, and thanks to Judy Dickson, the Grand Secretary of Kansas, for passing it along to us.
Hey everyone,
We got to Australia okay and have seen Ayers Rock and are now in Alice Springs waiting to go to Sydney. We spent half the day climbing and hiking yesterday and boy was I worn out but I kept up. The flight over was so incredibly long and I was squished the whole way but we got here. We finally got to our destination 30 hours after we left home.
The group we are traveling with is really nice - 17 in all including Marlene and Loma Frakes. We go to Sydney today and tomorrow. Tracy wants to climb the Sydney Harbor bridge so I guess I have to keep up with her. I'll check my mail someplace in Brisbane. Have fun and think about us.
Pam and Tracy
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Everyone is pretty busy today, so they really haven't had time to write (and considering it is already tomorrow in Australia, I assume they are not going to write), so today we will be taking a tour of the Headquarters Hotel at Supreme Session, the Conrad Jupiters. Of course I am not actually in Australia, but remember I am "virtually" there, so who better to take you on a virtual tour of the hotel than me?.
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| Here is a beautiful aerial view of the hotel. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean there in the background. Plenty of water for everyone to swim, splash, and generally have a great time. |
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| Here I am virtually in my room. It is decorated in a relaxing home away from home style. Soft shades of blue and yellow compliment attractive prints and furnishings. What a wonderful room. |
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| Here I am virtually having dinner and sharing a glass of milk and a Vegemite sandwich with Mom Toni, who is virtually there as well. Did you know that there are five world class restaurants as well as the famous 'Conrad service' which offers guests a culinary experience unmatched on the Gold Coast - from contemporary and international cuisine to bountiful buffets or quick snacks. |
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| For those who might be a bit intimidated by the mighty Pacific Ocean, there are three temperate-controlled pools at the hotel. Here I am virtually at one of them. In addition to the pools, there is a fully equipped Fitness Center and Health Club that features massage therapy and a sauna. You can also take a run along the jogging track through 15 acres of landscaped gardens. |
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Of course there will be meetings, ceremonies and banquets throughout the Session. Here I am virtually at one of the beautiful banquet halls in the Convention Center. The Convention Center, which is connected to the hotel, provides 7,500 sq. feet of column-free convention area, seating up to 2,300 theatre style & 1,300 dining. It can be divided into 7 independent rooms and 2 break-out rooms. The Center also features In-house audio-visual facilities as well as computer lines Well, all in all it looks like a fantastic hotel to host Supreme Session 2002. It was fun showing you around. I wish I had been more that virtually there. Well, that's about it for now. I hope that you will now excuse me as the surf is up, and I have to go and virtually hang ten. Bye for now. Whoopieeeeeeeee!!!!! |
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Nothing much to report today. Everyone is busy with pre-session tours and activities. Several are just getting to the hotel, while some will not be here until next week. One thing virtually happened today. I met one of the locals. Below you can see me virtually getting acquainted with him.
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Hey everybody. Well it seems that things are picking up Down Under. We have a report from Debbie Jorgensen. Some of you might remember Paul Jorgensen (Debbie's husband) and their daughter Heleena, who were at last year's Supreme Session. Let's hear from Debbie:
Hi Ashley,
Sorry that I haven't written to you for a while as things have been hectic here, we have just had 14 Canadians and Stacey and Kristen Hoogstraten here from Wednesday for a couple of days. I am unable to go to Supreme as I start college tomorrow but Paul and the girls went though. I will keep you posted on what is happening down there. Hope all is well over there.
Love Debbie
Hi there, it's me again. Thanks to Debbie for that report. I seems that she had a full house, and I'm not talking about cards. The Jorgensen's hospitality surely is amazing.
I am hoping that someone will send an update on Mom Vanessa Fowler's Reception, which was held on Saturday evening. I am sure that it was an outstanding event. I will let you know if and when I get a report. That's it for now. More to come later.
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Thanks to Judy Dickson, the Grand Secretary of Kansas, for passing this note from Mom Carolyn Block, PGG-Kansas, along to us. Someday you folks must remind me to tell you a story about the Mid-America HIKE, Mom Block and a picnic table.
Hi! Here we are in Sydney...having a great time...wish you were here. There are 41 in our tour and it's a great bunch. We hooked up with all the
other tours this morning...about 90 in all. Pam and Tracy are here and a girl we don't know. We both loved New Zealand. It was so much fun. Still prefer the Chicken and Ribs to the Hongi. Beautiful sites... Haven't spent all our money shopping...saved a little for Queensland. Lots to buy...lots to spend it on. We hope all is going well in KS. Tomorrow morning we leave for Queensland. Qantas is on strike (just the domestic part - which will be us) so we are not sure if we will fly or spend more quality time on a bus. More later.
Miss you........Love, Carolyn and Cindy
Hmmm, apparently Qantas want us to take bus. Below is a shot of their new fleet. Thanks Carolyn for that report
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We have a another report from Liz Taber. You might be reading this report on Sunday, August 4 and notice that it covers, Saturday, Sunday and Monday - yesterday, today and tomorrow. How can that be, you might ask (Go ahead and ask, I'll wait . . . ). Well, remember that they are 15 hours ahead of us, so I received her report about yesterday today, which also covers tomorrow, unless you are not reading this until Monday, in which case everything will seem to be just fine . . . everybody got that? I hope so because it confused the heck out of me. Anyway, here is Liz's report:
Hey Dad Ashley!!
Well, we arrived in Brisbane Saturday, but things were so hectic when we got there, so I didn't have time to write. We arrived at Conrad Jupiters sometime in the afternoon, and the LOVELY Gold Coast greeted us with a district power outage. : ) Jobies were running around the Lobby trying to figure out how to get up to their rooms because the front desk was telling everybody there were no stairs to go up! A few of us found side stairs and made our way up to our rooms. I saw a blur of Mom Vanessa as she flew past us trying to get to the 19th floor when the stairs only reach the 15th. We've seen the Sinley's, Mom Frakes, Mom Marcy Key, and the Hoogstratens already, and Amy and Dad Jeff don't come in until Tuesday.
It was a Free day yesterday, and everybody went on different tours to see the sites. My family went shopping and to the beach, as I studied for the ritual test in our room. : ) I never knew there was so much to know!!
Today is the HIKE picnic, and then it's the Civic Reception. It should be fun!! Competition for me starts on Wednesday, so I'm a bit nervous! : ) Well, I'll report back later.
Jobie Luv from Down Under,
Liz
Thanks for the Report Liz. I know that it is natural for you to be nervous about the Miss International Competition, but we know that you will do a fantastic job representing Missouri. Too bad about the electricity, but one good thing came out of it. My virtual camera was able to catch a glimpse of Mom Vanessa as she zoomed past Liz. Say, she really was going fast that she was a blur.
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The last time we heard from Stacy and Kirsten Hoogstraten, they were still here in Missouri. Well, they made it to Australia, and they have definitely been busy. Let's catch up with them:
Well, we have made it to Supreme Session 2002.
We got here Friday morning and were met at the airport by the Jorgensen family. We went back to their home which had become the Jorgensen Jobie Motel for the week. We had 22 people, 13 Jobies, two DeMolay and the rest adults. It was wall to wall people. After we unloaded luggage and loaded Jobies, we went to Australia Zoo. No Croc Hunter, but we saw some of the crocs that were in his movie, held a snake, petted kangaroos. That evening we went to Bethel 2 in Chermside. The work is the same, but it was different to hear in an Australia accent. After the meeting, we had tea with the Bethel. We have had lots of tea!
The next day we went shopping at a mall in Caboolature. It had a K-mart, Target, Spencer's Gifts and Payless Shoes. No matter where you go there you are. The next morning everyone was up at 5:15 in the morning for the drive to the gold coast for supreme. After getting settled in we headed over to the Convention Center to register for the Session and see who all was here. Right away we saw Mom and Dad Sinley. That night was the Church service. The Rev. Ron Holt, Queensland Grand Lodge Chaplain led the service.
The next morning, was the performing arts competition. Kirsten sang and signed "Tears in Heaven" after good luck hugs from Alberta, Queensland, Kentucky and our own Mom Myrt Williams and Mom Frakes. We think it went well. Then it was time for the HIKE picnic. Kirsten upheld Missouri's honor by eating a very large strawberry and a serving of ice cream before another Jobie (from Wyoming) and a DeMolay. The trick was no spoons, no hands. Several good pictures will be available upon our return! Last night we went to a show at the Jupiter that featured an American percussion group called Stickworks who were very good!
Now we are on our way to Ritual Competition. That brings us up to Tuesday morning. Now that we've found the internet cafe we'll try to get you daily updates!
Lots of Jobie love to everyone at home!
Kirsten and Stacy
Thanks Stacy. It's good to see from your letter that Mom and Dad Sinley got there in fine fettle, as well as Mom Myrt. Mom Frakes seems to be getting around to just about everywhere as several people have mentioned her in their e-mails. Good luck to Kirsten with her competitions. Now we have a couple of letters from our Kansas neighbors. This first comes from Julie Stuck (by way of Judy Dickson) who shared the following information about Tim Stuck, AGG-KS and Emily Barlow-Stuck, Miss Kansas Job's Daughters.
Hey, everyone!
Tim and Emily arrived in Australia and contacted me Sunday evening (Monday morning in Aust.) Tim got a little ill on the flight overseas but
overall it was a good trip. There were 4 other Pageant contestants on their flight as well as the Pageant coordinator so Emily enjoyed visiting with the girls. They got checked in to the Hotel and were going to go register and look around a little.
They called me again late Monday afternoon (7:30 a.m. Aust.). They had a good day on Monday. Emily attended a reception hosted by the Gold Coast City Council on Monday afternoon and then she and Tim went to eat at Hard Rock Cafe. Emily said she really enjoyed the reception and likes ALL the girls in the pageant. They were going on a tour on Tuesday to the Outback and were going to an Animal refuge. Emily was most excited about getting to hold a Koala and touch a kangaroo!
Emily is pageant contestant #3. She is glad to get her messenger part over early (although she knows 4th messenger forwards and backwards thanks to Judy D. so she feel pretty confident about that part) and get the stage interview over BUT not to thrilled to wait on stage through the rest of the contestants. If you happen to be up late on Tuesday evening, she asks that you think of her during the test. (It takes place between 2-4 Wednesday so it would between 11-1pm our time on Tuesday)
I don't know if I will hear from them again before the pageant but will forward all info I get to Judy to send out to everyone. I am spending the
week in Caldwell, KS with my Mom so will keep in touch by e-mail
Jobie love,
Julie Stuck
It sounds like they are having a good time. I am sorry to hear that Tim got sick on the flight but if nothing else it reminds me of why I am not over there and to keep sticking to the regimen that the doctors have prescribed for me, even if it means no flying. I also know that just like with Liz Taber as Miss Missouri, everyone in Kansas is proud of Emily, their Miss Kansas. I have met Emily on several occasions, most recently at Missouri's Grand Session in June, and she is a delightful young lady who I am sure will represent Kansas in fine fashion. Now we have another note from Carolyn Block. Say, did I mention story about the Mid-America HIKE, Mom Block and a picnic table . . . Oh, I mentioned it but didn't actually tell you the story. Well, it seems that a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away . . . Well, maybe I better not tell that story right now because I'm not sure if it was a Galaxy or a Ford LTD. I always got those two cars mixed up. Anyway, here are Mom Block's latest adventures:
This is our free day. Nothing going until tonight when we go to the BBQ. Having a great time. The weather is wonderful. We are at the Pacific Fair mall and there is a wonderful breeze blowing through, but it's hot in the sun. We have been from the top of Mt. Tamborine to Point Danger, took a 20km boat ride down the Brisbane river and we have seen our fill of kangaroos, etc. Tim and Emily arrived yesterday....we haven't seen them. We have made some new friends...especially from IL and Wyoming. All is going well, wish you were here.
Love, Carolyn and Cindy
We would like to thank everyone who has been sending us e-mail from Supreme Session. It really helps those of us unable to attend to get a feeling of being there.
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Mom Toni gave me a special surprise today (Actually yesterday, although I am putting this under Wednesday because these events transpired on Wednesday, Supreme Session Time - I tell ya what, folks, this having to think not only in different time zones, but dealing with the International Date Line sure can get confusing :) She gave me a phone card and said, "Here, make some calls." She knew exactly what I would do, which was to call Australia and talk to some of the folks at Supreme Session. While I missed connections with a couple of them (Mom Shirley Bryngleson and Mom Marlene Frakes were already out of their rooms this morning), I did catch Mom Vanessa Fowler. She said that the session is going fine so far, and that she was looking forward to the start of the Business Sessions, as well as the Formal Opening this evening, although she was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I told her that she would do fine. She also said that her reception on Saturday had gone very well, and that she enjoyed my song (I wrote new words for Waltzing Matilda and had the other Supreme Line Officers sing it. To read it, click here). She has seen most of the Missouri crew at Session, and said that she might be able to get back here in September for the Lincoln-Truman HIKE. No promises, but she would try. I asked her to say hello to everyone for me and she said that she would. She said that everyone was thinking of me and wished me well (That really means a lot to me). I wished her well with the rest of the Session and let her get on with the business at hand. I will be making some more calls Down Under, and hopefully this time I will be able to catch a few more people in their rooms.
Now we have another report from Liz Taber. As you know, Liz is in the middle of the Miss International competition, so it is really great of her to take the time to send us her updates.
Dad Ashley~
Hey!! Well, Session is Underway!! Actually Formal opening is tonight, but oh well. the Civic Reception was tons of fun (as was the HIKE picnic) MOST of the pageant contestants were there, and we got to talk a bit. It was nice because it was an informal meeting, which prepared us for the ice breaker meeting.
Yesterday Amy and Dad Jeff came in, but unfortunately, their luggage did not follow them to Australia. Apparently it was left behind in LA. Hopefully it has come today, so that the Kitsmiller's will have something to wear! : ) Last Night Amy, Abby, Dad Jeff, and I all went to the DeMolay meeting along with some Alberta girls. That sure is a crazy group!!! It was soo much fun getting to know them. Today Amy, Kirsten, and I went to the Royalty Luncheon. It was nice, and gave us the opportunity to try new foods.
I just came from taking the Miss International Written Test, and there is definitely a lot to know about this organization!!! I think I did pretty well, thanks to my mom, and Amy drilling me before the test. Thanks guys!! As I said before, the Formal Opening is tonight, and I can tell from the practice that everyone really misses you, and your wonderful sense of humor! I hope everyone is doing well back in the States!
Jobie Luv from Down Under,
Liz
Well, it seems as if Dad Kitsmiller has inherited some of my Supreme Session travel woes (Read just about any of the other Supreme diaries and you will see what I mean). Hopefully their luggage will make it Down Under, otherwise Dad K might me searching the malls for some Down Under-wear.
I just got off the phone with Mom Bryngleson who sends her love to all her friends. She said that the session is going very well, but that she has managed to catch a cold (well, it is winter down there. Sometimes the temperature dips all the way down into the 60's ;) She said that the Formal Opening went fine. It was a bit long (Actually, isn't that the way most Formal Openings seem to be), but was never boring as Mom Fowler planned a lot of interesting things. Although I obviously wasn't there, Dad Ken Bastin, PASG Indiana, filled in for me, and our Miss Missouri Job's Daughter, Liz Taber, served as his escort. Thanks to Ken and to Liz for representing me so well.
She also gave me an update on the first Business Session. Mom Fowler read her report and received a tremendous ovation when she was finished In regards to some of the amendments on the floor, there was one to lower the Initiation age to 10, but that failed. There was also a motion regarding Miss International Congeniality. There was a lot of concern that the title of Miss International Congeniality was being put on the same level as Miss International Job's Daughters, and that it should be eliminated. After much discussion however, it was decided to just scale back the title to where it was before. Therefore the title will still exist, but the recipient will get a bouquet of flowers but will not receive a crown or sash, and will not participate in the final walk during the pageant when she and Miss International retire.
I also had a chance to speak with Dad Kitsmiller, although I got hold of him pretty late and he was already in bed (time difference you know). He said that his luggage finally did show up, so they have their clothes. He is looking forward to the Supreme Bethel Meeting and Installation. After that I let him get back to bed to get some sleep. He will need it when he is trying to keep up with those Supreme Bethel girls.
That's about it for now. The day is done over in Australia, even though it is just beginning here. I will have more reports later.
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Hey everybody, how are things going? Supreme Session is in full swing now with the Supreme Bethel meeting today and the Miss International Job's Daughter Pageant this evening. We just received this report from Mom Marlene Frakes. After reading it I now know why I haven't been able to catch her in the room when I call.
Here we are in Gold Coast Queensland at the Jobie convention. I'm having a good time. I don't know about Loma but I think he is. We spent 2 days in Sidney and it was just marvelous. We leave here on Sunday early to go to Cairns for three nights and back to Sydney for two more nights. No major problems if you don't count breaking 4 fingernails and having not place that does my kind of nails. Hope I get home with a few. It's been colder than expected at night so we were cold on our evening tours.
On Tuesday we went to a Bush BBQ and dance, some of it was good but not the food. The banquets in the hotel have been good. The hotel is actually a Casino. I haven't been in there but Loma has.
Formal Opening was last night. Beautiful but very very long. Bible and Flag ceremonies were very nice. Looked great having Amy carry the Missouri Flag (glad they got their clothes recovered). I present a Hike medallion to Casey Chillas from PA who raised $14,000 for Hike last year. It was pretty neat. Gave an update on the totals as of July 15. Joy Erickson did the Mother Mick presentation. She was excellent as usual but it was pretty long. The pomp, etc. of bringing in the Grand Master of Australia was beautiful and interesting. Loma & Randy went to the Masonic Meeting at the Grand Lodge on Monday night and they said they preformed this then too. Remarks were fairly short but with all the other stuff it was close to 11 p.m. before closing.
We got up at 5:45 a.m. today to have breakfast with our Missouri delegation to wish our candidate for Miss International Job's Daughters good luck. I've skipped out on Supreme Bethel meeting the morning so I could get to a shopping center to use the computer. The one in the hotel business center is very very expensive. This one is very easy to use.
Sounds like a party to me :) Better watch out for Loma in the Casino. You guys still have to have money to come home Now we have a note from our Grand Bethel Honored Queen Amy Kitsmiller and Dad Kitsmiller. They have some great news for Missouri:
Hey there Dad Ashley! This is from Amy & Dad Kitsmiller
Everything here is great! The Supreme Bethel Meeting went well. Liz Taber was named as Supreme Bethel 4th Messenger, with Kirsten Hoogstraten and Abbey Taber both being named as Supreme Bethel Representatives.
This morning, all the MO folks had breakfast (Roasted Frankfurters and baked beans for Dan Sinley, no ice cream for the girls, and Amy enjoyed her first taste of Vegemite). We all wished Liz well tonight at the pageant. We know she will do a great job!
Ashley, you appeared to have been on a diet for the formal opening! We don't remember you being so thin!!
Tonight is the pageant! We all wish Liz the best!
Talk with you soon!
Wow! That is great news. Congratulations to Liz, Kirsten and Abbey and welcome to the Supreme Team. Amy, isn't that vegemite some wonderful stuff. For those of you who might not know, vegemite is a spreadable yeast extract that was developed in 1922 and named in 1923. It is definitely an acquired taste, but one that I seem to have acquired while virtually in Australia (See the Virtual Tour above).
Also, regarding my appearance at the formal opening, Dad Ken Bastin, PASG is taking my place at the meetings during the meetings and he is somewhat more streamlined than I. Amy and Dad Kitsmiller said that they don't remember me being so thin. Well heck, I haven't been that thin since I was about 12 years old :)
I spoke with Mom Shirley Bryngleson on the phone this evening and she brought me up to speed on a couple of items. Lisa Hauser of Iowa was selected as the new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen. She will be installed on Friday evening. Carrie Gonsor of South Dakota was selected as both Miss International Job's Daughter and Miss International Congeniality.
At the business meeting an amendment to allow dual membership within Jurisdictional boundaries failed. We currently allow dual membership across jurisdiction lines (for example, a girl could be a member of a Bethel in Kansas and Missouri) but not within a jurisdiction (a girl could not be a member of 2 different Bethels within the State of Missouri).
We also have some more updates courtesy of Krysti Harris, PGBHQ of Illinois.
Hi Ashley,
I wanted to let you know that Aunt Donna Boyle and Michelle Rolen, Miss Illinois called this morning from Australia to give all of us at home an update on Supreme. It is midnight in Brisbane and Thursday's activities have come to a close. The Miss International Pageant was this evening and Aunt Donna said that Michelle did very well, even though she did not place. Michelle was in good spirits and is having a great time "down under." The new Miss IOJD is from South Dakota and is also the Miss International Congeniality.
We received a message on our guestbook from Aunt Caryn Adair and Ashley Adair yesterday relaying their personal accounts of Supreme Session:
From Ashley on 8/6/02: Australia is awseome... there are so many things happening. Today was ritual competition. It went okay. I think the judges may have taken 1 tick off for voice enfliction or something. I did the ind. story of Job. Leah lost her voice yeasturday but tried to do her ritual today anyway. Today we went to the Australian zoo and got our pictures taken with the Koalas. They were smelly! We also pet/fed the kangaroos. Session isn't even open yet and already I'm so tired. I took a nap today after the zoo and was almost late for ritual competition. Alrightly then. That's all for now I guess. From Ashley on 8/7/02: Hello from down under! Tonight was formal opening and it lasted all of 3 hours. It was very interesting when a lady dressed as our founder explained the processes she and her family went through to make up our beautiful organization. That's all for now. From Aunt Caryn: Hi All! The Supreme meeting went well. The new Supreme Bethel HQ is Carrie Gonsor from IOWA.( Dad Ashley's Note: Actually it was Lisa Hauser of Iowa, although Carrie, who is from South Dakota, was selected as Miss International later that evening. Spooky, huh? :) The good news is.....Ashley, Kristina Fron and Stephanie Newton will be serving as Supreme Bethel Reps this year. Ashley is S.B.R. to Alberta. The pageant is scheduled to start in a few minutes. This place (internet cafe) is open til midnight. Maybe someone will get back to you with results.. Love to all at home! |
Sounds like Illinois' delegation in Brisbane is doing well and enjoying the sights. Best Wishes to all of Illinois' Supreme Team including, Aunt Susie Mentel, Supreme Guardian-elect, Aunt Judy Murrison, Supreme Librarian and Aunt Norma Croissant, Supreme Bethel Guardian. We know that you will all represent Illinois well.
Ashley, I have enjoyed tracking your diary this week and am looking forward to seeing you at the Truman-Lincoln HIKE next month. I am glad to hear you are doing better. If I hear anything else from Australia, I will keep you informed.
Krysti
Thanks Krysti. Congratulations to all of our Land of Lincoln neighbors at Supreme. Now we have another e-mail from our neighbors to the west. Mom Judy Dickson of Kansas passes this note from along to us:
Judy,
I just got a call from Tim and Emily about the Pageant. Emily did not make top 11 but didn't sound too disappointed. She said she felt really
good about how she did and knew she had done her best. She and Tim both commented on how long the "final walk" of the outgoing girls took. I guess it went on for 30 minutes. The new Miss International is from South Dakota. She is also the Miss Congeniality. Emily said she is "real sweetie" and was glad she won.
The new SBHQ is from Iowa. Sabra Lamb is a Rep. but neither can remember to what. Emily said that if she had been able to put her name in,
she would have been Supreme 1st Messenger as that is when Kansas was first drawn. (She said "I would rather be Miss Kansas!")
Tim said the amendment about changing the age to 10 failed but did not want to take time to explain the details about the others as it was
complicated. Please pass on to everyone. Thanks!
Julie
Thanks Judy for passing that along to us, and congratulation to all of the Kansas folks there at Supreme. Well, that's about it for now. It's late in Australia and everyone is in for the night. Tomorrow looks to be another busy day.
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Okay, it is Friday morning in Australia now and I just spoke with Mom Marlene Frakes who told me that the new SBHQ is indeed Lisa Hauser from Iowa, whom she spoke about glowingly. She also talked about how Carrie Gonsor won both Miss International and Miss Congeniality. She said that they are having a great time Down Under, and wished I could be there (So do I, so do I). Mom Frakes also told me that the ritual revision due to take place in 2004 was extended by 5 years, so we will be using the same ritual we have now for at least that length of time.
After that I spoke with Dad Jeff Kitsmiller who said he is looking forward to Lisa being SBHQ, and that the Supreme Bethel Committee would be getting ready for the Installation this evening. I then tried to call Mom and Dad Sinley, but they were already out of their room. As I am writing this it is about 5:45 p.m. here so in Australia the Supreme Business meeting is taking place, with the election of Supreme Council Officers taking center stage. I am scheduled to talk to Mom Shirley again at 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon Queensland Time, which will be 9:30 p.m. Thursday evening here, so check back around 10:00 for more updates.
Okay folks, I'm back with results from the Supreme Council elections. Susie Mentel was elected as Supreme Guardian, David Moffat as Associate Supreme Guardian, Shirley Bryngleson as Vice Supreme Guardian, Ashley Underwood as Vice Associate Supreme Guardian, Jeannine Hinmen as Supreme Guide, and Robert Thurman as Supreme Inner Guard. Well, I guess that about all you guys want to know . . . just kidding :) The new kids on the block are Louise Windbiel from British Columbia as Supreme Marshal and Ken Smiley from Michigan as Supreme Outer Guard. Most of our Missouri folk probably remember Ken as the husband of Mom Marilee Smiley, who was Supreme Guardian when Dad Bill Dinkmeyer of Missouri was Associate Supreme Guardian. I got to know Ken very well during Marilee and Bill's trip up the line, and I got to know Louise last year at Supreme Session. They will make a great addition to the team.
In other election results, Dad Ken Bastin, PASG from Indiana and Sandra Miller, PGG Virginia were elected to the Board of Trustees. Ken has been filling in for me during Session and I thank him for that and look forward to working with both he and Sandra. I would also like to thank all the delegates at Supreme Session for electing me as Vice Associate Supreme Guardian. Also, thank you to all who have supported me during my trip up the line, and especially to my great Missouri Job's Daughter Family who have supported me since well before I can remember (I am getting pretty old you know :) Please know that I will continue to do my best to represent Missouri as well as I possibly can. I would also like to thank my family without whom I could never have achieved any of the things that I have been lucky enough to have accomplished. You always have my love and devotion.
We now have some more e-mail from Down Under. This first comes from our Grand Bethel Honored Queen, Amy Kitsmiller:
Hello Dad Ashley,
I hope that everything is going well with you in Missouri. We miss you so much here at Supreme. We are having a ton of fun so far, now that Dad and I have our luggage, and the fun keeps going.
Liz did a great job all week in her competitions and it showed last night when she was representing Missouri in the Miss International Pageant.
She did a great job and we are all very proud of her!
Although, you were not in attendance today in the supreme meeting, your report was a hit with everyone. And yes, my Dad's phone is now turned off. There were many people who asked about his phone, which I thought was pretty funny.
I am very excited about going to be the WY/MO dinner tonight, it should be great! After the dinner, Missouri is very excited about the Supreme
Bethel Installation, in which we get to watch as our three wonderful Missouri Job's Daughters are going to be installed in their Supreme stations. All three are very excited about their new stations.
I am having a great time her in AUS getting to know all of the wonderful Jobies around the world. I am also having a wonderful time shopping and getting to travel around to see the very pretty sites. Tomorrow we are going to the hard rock cafe and also more shopping, which I love. Well, I better get going now, so that I can get ready. I hope that you are having a great week!
Love You, Amy
Thanks, Amy. It definitely is better to have your luggage, especially when you are 9000 miles from home, and have not budgeted the purchase of a new wardrobe while in Australia. I hope that everyone has a good time at the WY/MO Dinner. It should be fun. For those of you who are wondering about my report and the cell phone, it concerns a part of my Supreme Inner Guard report where I talked about being laid up and missing Mini-Session. I will include that part of my report now:
| . . . For example, I missed the Mini-Session of the Grand Bethel of Missouri that was in large part planned by my daughter, Kim. She had worked so hard on this session and I knew it meant a lot to her for it to go well. I told her to go ahead and do the session as if I were there and not to worry about anything other than making the session a success. As things turned out, the session was a complete triumph, said by many to have been one of the best ever, and I was lucky enough to be able to follow the session by cell phone and later video. In some ways I was blessed to have to monitor the session in this manner. Had I been there, while it would have been a fun event for me, some parts of it could have been routine while the inevitable slip-ups would have been aggravating. As it was, I cherished every report about the session. I relished every little bit of news about the event. In fact, and I’m not sure that he knows this because I haven’t said anything about it before today, but I had been talking to Jeff Kitsmiller, PAGG of Missouri, on his cell phone while he was at the Session. We had reached the end of our conversation and had said our goodbyes, but he did not click the off button and his phone remained active. I sat and listened to the sounds of the session for about 15 minutes. It was just the sound of the usual hustle and bustle of virtually any session, girls and adults chattering away and generally having a good time, but to me it was the most delightful sound at the time. I know I should have hung up and not used up any more of Jeff’s airtime, but I could not help myself. I guess now that I have ‘fessed up, I should offer to pay for that quarter of an hour that meant so much to me. It would definitely be worth every dime as today it almost seems as though I was really there. Well, I was there, in spirit if not in body. |
Okay, I guess the secret is out. Hey Jeff, I'll pop for dinner when you get back :) Now we have another note from one of my favorite people, Mom Carolyn Block, PGG-Kansas, sent to us by way of another of my favorite people, Mom Judy Dickson, PGG and Grand Secretary of Kansas. Hey, did I tell you guys the story about the Mid-America HIKE, Mom Block, and the picnic table that wouldn't behave. What's that you say, I started to tell it a couple of times but never finished. Well, let me tell you, this is just the funniest story. It seems that Mom Block and a few other ladies were sitting at a picnic table at the 1992 Mid-America HIKE . . . or was in the 1993 HIKE . . . No, it was the 1992 HIKE . . . I tell ya what, folks, I better find out for sure what year it was so I don't get mixed up. Anyway, here is her latest report from Down Under:
Dear Judy,
We are at the Oasis shopping center to find something to eat....again. We are finished with the business meeting. Election this morning took less than 2 hours. New Supreme Marshal is Louise Weisbee (??) from British Columbia. Ken Smiley is Outer Guard...(He said Marilee finally said ok). New board members are Ken Bastin and Sandy Miller from VA...she was on our tour and is a hoot. Supreme Bethel HQ is Alisa Howser from Iowa. Miss IOJD is from South Dakota. She is also Miss Congeniality.
My dinner has arrived so I'll signoff. We miss you and wish you were here with us. I think Supreme will be before the Fair next year.....so plan to come.
We are going on the beach in the morning....then we need to start packing. Don't know how we are going to get all our treasures home. Take care.
Love, Carolyn and Cindy
Thanks, Carolyn and Cindy, for that report and thanks Judy for passing it along. Well, it is about 9:00 a.m. Friday morning here which makes it midnight at Session. I'll sign off for today and will be back with more updates tomorrow.
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Hey folks, what's going on? Since my last post yesterday, I have received a number of e-mails about my report at Supreme Session, and have been asked to post it in its entirety. I tell ya' folks, its not that good, but okay, if you want to read it, click here (but if you fall asleep reading it, don't say I didn't warn you). Anyway, today has been a day to kind of catch your breath at Supreme. The farewell breakfast was held this morning. Everyone got a chance to say goodbye to this year's Supreme Team. These breakfasts are always somewhat of a bittersweet event. There is happiness tinged with sadness. You work your way up the line for 4 years and spend that last year globe hopping. Then you finish with the tremendous job of planning and running a Supreme Session, albeit with a lot of help. Then all of a sudden it is over. Sort of like going a hundred miles and hour and then just suddenly hitting the brakes. No gradual slow down, just the sudden stop. It can be a very emotional time and unless you have gone through it (or something like it on a Grand Level) it is hard to understand. Suffice it to say that at this point it can be really great to hear something like, "Vanessa and Bill, you have done a tremendous job for the Order, and we are all very proud of you. You gave your all for Job's Daughters, and have helped this organization continue to be a great place for young women to learn and grow. Congratulations on work well done."
I just finished IM'ing with Tracy Apps, PGBHQ of Wisconsin. For those of you who don't know, that means I was chatting on the computer using AOL Instant Messenger. You actually type real time messages to each other. She says that she is having a wonderful time, although she has slept through a couple of tours. I can fully understand that. I think that I would just about be getting used to the time difference when it would be time to head back home. Tracy said that it will probably take her about 3 weeks to get back on Milwaukee time. I told her that she will be going to bed at 9:00 a.m. and getting up at 4:00 p.m. Actually, Australia time seems to be a lot like College Student time here . . . just kidding folks, just kidding . . . or am I . . . Hmmmmm. Tracy said that she has take over 900 pictures so far and that she will send me some of them. I can't wait. Hopefully I will be getting lots of pictures to sort through and will be able to post a lot of them on the website.
The rehearsal for the SGC Installation was this afternoon and went well, although there was a bit of a mix up on escorts. With the help of my handy dandy phone card, however, those were ironed and everything was go for the Installation.
Just prior to the Installation, all of the new officers and their escorts posed for pictures. Everyone look great with the ladies in their gowns and the gentlemen in their tuxedos. It might be a good thing that I wasn't there because I might have cracked the camera lens when it tried to focus on this ugly face :)
The Installation then kicked off and things flew into high gear again. I spoke with Marilyn Olsen, PGG Wyoming, and she said that it was a beautiful ceremony. It ran about 2 hours so it was just about the right length, not too long and not too short. Missouri's Grand Bethel Honored Queen, Amy Kitsmiller, stood in for me and represented Missouri in fine form. She helped serve as one of Mom Shirley Bryngleson's escorts and did a great job. As the Installation came to a close so did Supreme Session, and as is the case every year, with the close of one chapter in Job's Daughters, yet another is opened as Susie and Dave were launched on their odyssey for the next year, which will conclude next July in Chicago, Illinois.
Well folks, I don't anticipate getting any more reports as most of the folks are in bed for the night and will be catching their flights tomorrow to head back home. So, that's about it for now. I'll be back with a Supreme Session wrap-up tomorrow.
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Hi folks. As I said earlier, Supreme Session has come to a close, but the trip goes on for some of our friends. Many people will be making the trip home today, while others still have some touring to do. We received this letter from Mom Marlene Frakes who gives us a bit of a run-down on her continued travels.
Ashley
Here we are in Cairns. We arrived about noon and have had tour of the city. Loma & I are traveling with Doris Mielke, PGG, Linda & Randy Sinley, Marci Key & Bev Fogliani. We go on the Kurand Rail tour tomorrow and Great Barrier Reef on Tuesday. Susie's Installation was very nice and not extremely long. I have your tie from Kennely and your VASG pin to present to you when I install you on Sept 14.
Marlene
It looks like a pretty large portion of the Missouri delegation is going to be hopping around down under for a while yet. It also looks like Mom and Dad Sinley will be riding a train during one of the tours. I wonder if they will find a polar bear on the train? Hey, it's "bear-ly" possible. I know it's a pretty lame joke, but if I hadn't told it, I would have been "un-bear-able." Whoops, sorry again. You will just have to "bear" with me. Okay, that's it. I've officially gone over the edge. By the way, the Installation on September 14 that Mom Frakes mentioned will be held at Webster Groves Temple. I will be installed then, plus we will honor our special HIKE $1000 dollar level fund-raisers. For more information, click here.
Well folks, that's about it for now. I'll be back in a bit to wrap things up.
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Well, Supreme Session 2002 has come to an end, and what a fantastic event it has been. It is almost like that television show, Survivor, where a group of people assemble, do all kinds of wild and exciting things, and have a huge payoff at the end, with the exception, however, that at Supreme Session people do not lie and cheat to win, no one is voted off of the island, and everyone is a survivor. People from all over the world traveled Down Under to make new friends and renew their bonds with old friends. This Supreme Session, like most of them, has been a whirlwind of activity ranging from huge full scale tours to simple meals with just a couple of people sharing a brief respite from the action. To successfully navigate the raging river of activities takes planning, patience and perseverance. By the end of the Session, just about everyone is spent, having used up every bit of energy in the pursuit of a goal. That goal is the betterment of Job's Daughters International. From the making of friends, to the breaking of bread . . . From the various competitions to the many honors accorded the participants . . . From the smallest of committee meetings to the full scale business sessions where the future of the Order is debated . . . all of these activities are for one goal, the betterment of the Order. By bettering one's own experience as a Job's Daughter, the entire organization is improved. By the competitions that bring forth the best in an individual, the entire Job's Daughter experience is enhanced. By open debate, free discussion and general consensus, the organization is healthier. Supreme Session is more than just a convention of like minded people. Of course some might say, especially if they have been present at a Supreme Session business meeting where a particularly controversial subject comes to the floor, that Supreme Session is a meeting of, un-like minded people. However, as I have stated, these sessions make for a stronger organization. As long as the participants have the good of the Order as their highest intent, then debate, even if it becomes rather vociferous, will improve the long term health of JDI. Anything that improves the health of JDI, works for the betterment of our members, and lets face it folks, that is the reason we are really here. With the actions of September 11, 2001 still fresh in our minds (I am writing this 11 months to the day after the occurrences of that tragic day) isn't it a comfort to know that people of every country, sect and opinion are able to come together to create an environment that will nurture the talent, dreams and skills of our Daughters, thus developing better leaders, not only for our own organization, but also for the world at large.
Folks, it has been my pleasure and my honor to bring you these Supreme Session updates. I hope that in some small way I have been able to bring the Supreme Session experience to those unable to attend, a group that unfortunately this year also included me. A very special thank you to all who have contributed their thoughts via e-mail to this diary. To those who I have called on the phone, you have my gratitude. You didn't grumble when I called so very early or so very late in order to make sure I caught you in your rooms. Thanks to all of you for reading. I really appreciate the interest you have expressed and the many kind words of encouragement I have received. With the help of the Good Lord, I hope to see everyone at next years Supreme Session where we can once again get together, share some memories, and try to do a few good deeds for the betterment of Job's Daughters. Bye for now.
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