|
|
| Friday, July 25 | Saturday, July 26 | Sunday, July 27 |
| Monday, July 28 | Tuesday, July 29 | Wednesday, July 30 |
| Thursday, July 31 | Friday, August 1 | Saturday, August 2 |
| Thanks for Visiting. If you are of a mind, drop me a note. | ||
|
|
 Not a lot of room left in there |
|
Hey everybody, Dad Ashley here. I hope you are getting excited about Supreme Session in Wisconsin. I know I sure am. I only have time for a quick entry before we get started. Mom Toni and I will be leaving in just a bit and we wish everyone who is going a safe and fun trip. I have spent the last few weeks working on various items for the SS2011 Committee such as the Missouri-Idaho Presentation, Way & Means, etc, and to all who have helped put things together for this Session, thank you so much. I know that one night, Mom Toni, Eva Pelak, Kim Stratmann, Laurie Lenhardt, Patti Brand were all in my Kitchen putting together items for our Session Presentation bags. There are others too numerous to mention right now who have helped in so many ways, but when I have more time I will try to get to all of them. I am sending my first shout-out of the Session to Natalie Hansen of Wyoming. She sent me a very nice e-mail about my Session Diaries, and she will be keeping one this year as well. The address is http://www.freewebs.com/wyojdi. By the way, her mom is Mary Hansen, who is the Grand Guardian of Wyoming, so watch out mom, Natalie will be keeping tabs on you, lol. Thanks again Natalie, we will be reading. My great friend, Melanie Strachan, the Grand Guardian of Queensland, is also keeping a Session Diary. The address for that one is http://aussiejobie.multiply.com/journal. Great job as usual Melanie. Also thanks to Mom Sandy Flanery, the Grand Marshal of Missouri, who sent out this weather report for the following week: Sat - Mostly Sunny - 64/85 degrees Okay everyone, as Mom Sandy mentioned in , you probably want to bring your umbrellas. it also looks like it will be fairly cool so that will be a welcome break from the Midwest heat. Okay, Mom Toni is giving me the sign that we need to get going. I will try to check back in later this evening. Talk to ya' soon.
Okay, if you have read some of my Supreme Session Diaries in the past, you know that my trips to and from Session are never routine. Well, that was pretty much the same today, although it really wasn't all that bad. We had every intention of getting away around noon. Of course that didn't happen. Jobie Standard Time you know, lol. The picture above really makes it look like we hit the road at 4:00. Did that really happen? Well, let's put it this way, I got in the car at 4:00. 20 minutes later, Mom Toni came out and we made our first departure. In all fairness I must add that Mom Toni actually did the bulk of the packing. Otherwise we never would have gotten everything in the car. I can pack the heck out of a band truck, but when it comes to luggage (and ways and means and Session Arrangements stuff, etc.) I am hopeless. Anyway, we pulled away about 4:20. Mom Toni was really hot (it was in the mid 90's and very humid) so I took her to Jack-In-The-Box for a milkshake. When we got there she decided she was really more hungry than hot, so we got something to eat. While sitting there, I casually asked if she had remembered to pack my swimming gear (I do swim exercises daily). She had not so we quickly went back home, and she got my swim suit, and some other odds and ends that we might need. Then at 4:48, we really got on the road. Since it was now rush hour, the Poplar Street Bridge across the Mississippi River into Illinois was jam packed, so I took the King Bridge instead. It wasn't too bad, other than being a very narrow and high bridge, the kind fear of heights makes driving across a real adventure. Anyway, we more or less sidestepped around the bulk of the traffic and in no time were were heading up I-55 on our way to Wisconsin. We made it to the hotel about 10:30 and checked in. Our room was going to be 605. As I mentioned before, I have a tremendous fear of heights. Since this is a hotel that has all the rooms on balconies, that makes anything above the third floor really difficult to deal with. The hotel was very nice and gave us room 305. However, once we got there Mom Toni was not happy with it (It was set up more as a boardroom as opposed to a regular room) so we then switched back to our room on the sixth floor. Now it was my turn to be an unhappy camper (of course, since we wound up back in 605, you can see who has all the pull here, lol). I managed to get to the room (not telling you how - it is a bit embarrassing.) So now of course, whenever I am in the room, my mind will be on the next time I have to leave, and whenever I out of the room, my mind will be on having to return to the room. What a vicious circle. Oh, well, if that is my biggest worry this week, it will be a great time. A couple of more shout-outs to send. First of all I received an e-mail from Brian Thompson, PAGG-Queensland. Brian is a great guy and was a fantastic AGG. Hello to Brian and all of my friends down under. Next to Laurie Lenhardt, Director of Promotion, Bethel #43 in Fenton, Missouri. Laurie is wondering if any Missouri Girls will be submitting their letter to be placed in the drawing for Supreme Bethel Honored Queen? I'm not sure, but as we go through the week I will try to find out. For our Missouri Job's Daughters who might not know, the selection process of Supreme Bethel Honored Queen is a drawing unlike our own Grand Bethel process where the top three girls are elected. Good luck and best wishes to any Job's Daughter, Missouri or otherwise, who will be placing their name in for SBHQ. For the girls selected, it is a big job, and takes a lot of dedication to do well. Okay, it's about 1:45 a.m. now, and I have to attend YPP Training at 9:00 a.m., so I'd better get to bed. I will check back in sometime tomorrow (or technically, I guess it's later on today). Bye for now. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click 
|
|
|
|
Hey folks, Mom Toni and I got up bright and early to head to the YPP Training Session, which took up the bulk of the day. The training was conducted by Shelly Cole, PGG-UT and Robin Henderson, PGG-OR, and was very well done. It was a great learning experience and the program will be a tremendous asset for the protection of our fantastic Job's Daughters.
Since the session took up most of the day (basically around 6 hours) we didn't do much roaming around or visiting, but we did break for lunch where I managed to snap a couple of shots of our Supreme Guardian, Mom Janine Coley, eating a chocolate chip cookie that was nearly as big as her head. Of course I would never, ever take a picture of anyone doing something like that . . . yeah, sure I wouldn't. Well, the pictures I didn't take are just below:
Sending some shout-outs to some good friends who have sent e-mails. Colleen Vezeau, Council Helper and MM #43 in Missouri says she has work training this week so she can't be here, but her husband, Papa John, PAGG-MO, will be and to keep an eye on him. Better watch out John, Colleen's helpers are everywhere. Kathy Rodemacher, PBG #19 & #1, and Promoter of Finance #12-MO, sends her best wishes and says not to get too bored in any meetings. What! Meetings boring? Impossible. Ian Milne PABG ABG #4 Sunnybank, Queensland and their Grand Treasurer says he can't be here this year, but is planning on hitting the next two. It will be great to see you again. He also says to be on the lookout for Ian Nelson, the AGG of Queensland. I sure will. I've already seen Grand Guardian Melanie so I need to complete the set. By the way, Melanie and Supreme Guide Elaine Gray were both at the YPP Training today. We had a nice little chat and caught up on a number of things. Margaret Thompson, BG #23 in Northern Brisbane, Queensland and Brian Thompson's other half and supporter, sends her understanding about my fear of heights as she suffers from the same thing. She talks about all of the high buildings she has been in (101 tower in Taipei, Gondola at Whistler, Seattle Space Needle, Sears Tower-Chicago, Skylon Tower Niagra Falls, George Washington Masonic Memorial - Virginia and the Brooklyn Bridge on the top level of the double-decker bus), and the one time she got a room on the low floor at the pyramid in Las Vegas, much to Brian and Emma's disgust. I know how you feel Margaret. People just don't understand how it is with us acrophobic fraidy-cats. Thanks again for your understanding words. Later in the evening, Toni, Rick, Kim Stratmann and I went out to dinner. Before we left we ran into Mom Marilyn Olson, VSG and "Colonel" Bob Clore, VASG. We talked for a bit, and then they headed out for a walk while we headed for the car, but before we could make it, we saw my partner in line Mom Shirley Bryngleson. She couldn't go to eat with us as she had a Finance Committee meeting to get to at 8:00. Of course at that point it was 7:59, so I am guessing she was going to be a bit late. Jobie Standard Time, you know, lol. So now we actually did head out and went to Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant. The food was fantastic. While there we ran into Elaine and Melanie again who were there with a group that included among others Supreme Inner Guard Dave Robblee and Supreme Bethel Committee member Richard Lewis. Elaine, who is a vegetarian, mentioned that she was having the vegetarian fajitas. I told here that I had once had vegetarian lasagna, and that is went great with my steak. Elaine groaned and everyone else had a bit of a laugh. I also told here that she is lucky she doesn't eat meat and related to her the story about one of the Supreme Officers when Mom Shirley and I were SG and ASG. Heather Jones of Australia was with us on a trip we took to Wyoming's Grand Session. At one of the dinners we had prime rib. Heather slathered what she thought was mayonnaise onto her steak, but when she bit into it, her eyes began to water, her nose began to run, and she very nearly couldn't catch her breath. It seems that was she thought was mayo was in fact horseradish, and rather strong horseradish at that. I thought we were going to have to do CPR on Heather, but she finally caught her breath, scraped the excess horseradish off her steak and continued with dinner. What a trooper. Okay folks, it's just about time for bed again. I hope that everyone is enjoying the session accounts. Tomorrow will be another bit of a slow day, but after that things begin to pick up speed. I'll be talking to you later. Take care. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 Lorrie's daughter lends a hand |
|
Hey there everybody. I hope all is going well wherever you are. We are having a great time here in Wisconsin. Mom Toni's day started a bit earlier than mine did today. She had to go to the Board Meeting at 8:30 a.m. Boy, do I remember those days. While I miss being around the great folks I served with during my time in Supreme Line, I don't miss the early morning meetings, especially after late night meetings. Still, they have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done, so they get on it. So many folks will come up to people either in the Supreme Line or on the Board of Trustees and say, "Wow, you get to go to all of these great places." While that is true, unfortunately they spend most of their time lock up in meetings. My hat is off to the folks on the Board and in the Line. The Job's Daughters and adult co-workers all across the globe have put their trust in you, and I know that you will keep that trust in mind as you work for the betterment of our great organization. As for myself, I got up, at a bowl of cereal, and then headed to the pool - that's right, the pool. After all these years of going to Supreme Session, this is the very first time I have gone to the swimming pool, but I wasn't in there just splashing around. For those who don't know, I have severe arthritis in my knees, and a bit in my back and hips. I go to the YMCA 5 days a week to do Arthritis Foundation shallow water Daily Living exercises, as well as deep water cardio and strength exercises. While the pool today was too shallow to do any deep water work, I got in my shallow water exercises, and managed to adapt some of my other exercises. Anyway, while I was still up in the room, I had just put on my swimming gear and was going to head down to the pool, but the cleaning lady was in the room next door and the maintenance cart was by that room door, so I was stuck in my own room. Why, you may ask . . . go ahead, ask . . . I'll wait (whistles Jeopardy theme) What's that . . . Why was I stuck in the room . . . well thank you for asking. I was stuck because I am on the sixth floor, and there is no way that this acrophobic old man was going to go around that cart and get that close to the edge of the balcony. Yeah, I know it's silly, but that's just kind of how it is. So I waited for her to get to my room. Once she did, I left the room, did my best Spiderman imitation (hugging the wall while walking down the balcony) and made it to the elevator area. Of course it was then that I realized that I had forgotten my towel. So it Spiderman heading back across the balcony to my room, but hey, look at this, a whole cart full of towels. So I yelled into the room and told the cleaning lady that I was taking a towel, and then wall-crawled back to the elevator and went down to the pool. Of course once I got there, they had towels galore. Hundreds of towels, maybe even thousands of towels. Towels of every size, shape, color and country of origin. There were people swimming in towels, sunbathing in towels, dancing on towels. Little children were playing with towels. People with dentures were wrapping their teeth in towels. It was a veritable towel-a-palooza. What, you ask me, did they have towels? Did they have towels? DID THEY HAVE TOWELS?!?!?!?!?!?!? . . . Well, yeah, they had a couple. Following my workout, I saw Robin Henderson. We talked for a bit and I told her what a great job I thought she did at the YPP Session yesterday. After that I headed back to the room, took a shower and went to lunch. While there I overheard a funny conversation between you young Job's Daughters. One girl asked the other one where East Consin was. I guess she heard some people say Wisconsin in a bit of drawl and to her it sounded like West Consin. If this is West Consin, there must be an East Consin Funny stuff.
After lunch we went to set up the Missouri-Idaho Ways & Means Table. Idaho's Session Arrangements Chair Lorrie Madsen was there to held, along with her daughter and mother. They did a lot of work sorting and setting up items as did Daniella Brand, GBHQ, and Mom Patti Brand, PGG-MO, and Dad Ashley's Grand Line partner. Ways and Means Sub-Committee Chair Kim Stratmann helped as well and the table looked great as folks started to pass through the area. Mom Shirley Bryngleson came by, and we had a chance to talk for a bit. She is doing a lot of baby-sitting for her grand-children these days. She wonders how she ever found time to actually work before.
Once we were set up, some of the crew went on the cruise that was scheduled for this evening. Mom Toni, Mom Nancy Knarr, Momma Donna Goede, Grand 1st Messenger Miss Kim Underwood and I then headed out for dinner. A quick note about Kim being called Miss Kim. When she became Bethel Guardian of Bethel #12, some of the girls were in dancing school, and in the tradition of calling their Instructors by Miss and their first name, Kim became Miss Kim. The name stuck and she is called that to this day. On the way out we ran into our Junior Miss Missouri Brianna Hall and her mom, Barb, arriving at session. Erin Howard of Bethel #47 was with them, along with some others that I couldn't see way in the back of the van. We all talked for a bit and then they went to check in and we continued on to dinner. We went to the Quaker Stake & Lube restaurant, and it was really cool. It is set up sort of like an old time gas station, complete with gas pumps advertising 34 cents-a-gallon gasoline. Wow, those were the days. They had lots of neat decorations, including motorcycles and Corvettes suspended from the ceilings and walls. We had a wonderful time eating and visiting - talking about everything from everyone's first Grand Session, first Supreme Session (mine was 1976 in St. Louis) and tons of other stuff. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel where I played the piano for a bit before coming up to the room. Before I close it down for the night, I need to send some shout-outs to some folks who were nice enough to write. Julie Emberson, PHQ, PBG #66 DeKalb, Illinois, and PGBHQ 2001-02, writes that she wanted to be here as she is fairly close to Middleton, but that she has to work the first part of the week and then chaperon their GBHQ to Grand York Rite the second half of the week. Thanks for writing Julie and we will try to keep up up to date on the happenings here at Session. Have fun at Grand York Rite. Colleen Vezeau sends us a note letting me know that I had two different update dates for my last diary entry. Well, that's kind of how it is at Supreme. Even when you have figured out where you are, you are not always exactly sure what day it is. So, I was just covering my bases by having a wide selection of dates to choose from. Mom Donna Koyn, a very hard working Jobie and DeMolay mom, sends us some thanks for keeping her in the know about the goings-on at session. Thank you Donna for reading, and tell Dave (her husband who just might be the hardest working guy I know) to take a break now and then. Missouri's GBSP, Jen Hallahan, says hello, and sends her best wishes to our Miss Missouri Erica Wallace, and our Supreme Ritual Team. Jen is heading to Europe this week, and will be communicating via e-mail while she is over there. Don't worry Jen, we will keep you informed of how the Team does and how Erica does in the Miss International Pageant. Bill Walker, PASG and the President of the JDI Board of Trustees, sends a very nice e-mail. Bill is unfortunately unable to be here in person, but he says that he is enjoying the Supreme Diary, and is able to be at the Board Meetings via speaker phone. Now that is dedication. Bill was a great ASG and is even better in his role as Board President. Even when things aren't always going exactly according to Hoyle, like the Eveready Bunny, Bill just keeps on going and going. Thanks Bill, I really appreciate it, and so does everyone in the organization. Okay, that's about it for tonight. Take care and I will talk to you tomorrow. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
|
|
Hey there, getting an early start today as it is a busy day. The Way & Means sales begin today as do the Ritual, Arts & Crafts and Performing Arts competitions. Mom Toni has already left for the Board Meeting and Miss Kim is judging in the Performing Arts competition. I am finishing up breakfast (my daily bowl of Special K) and getting ready to head down to the Ways & Means room. I will check back in later today. Everybody have a great day. Hey guys, just checking back in for a couple of minutes. I have been working at the Ways & Means Table all day. We have been having a pretty good day sales wise, and everybody seems to enjoy the items we have selected for sale. Mom Toni and I did take a few minutes to dash over to the McDonald's Classic for lunch. They have a lot of cool memorabilia including some neat Mickey Mouse stuff, as well as a swirling piano keyboard on the ceiling. About the only thing not classic about it was the prices. They are still the present day prices. Oh well, I guess you can't have everything. I have a few afternoon shout-outs to send along. Jan Harms, PGG & Grand Secretary of Pennsylvania sends word that she will be at Session later in the week, but that when you aren't here for the entire experience, you feel like you have missed something. She says that the diary is helping her keep up so it isn't quite as bad. She also mentions that Sharon Shaeffer, one of the Supreme Officers on Mom Shirley's and my team in 2003-2004, will also be coming with her. Thanks Jan. I appreciate the nice words and look forward to seeing you and Sharon. Mom Kathy Rodemacher sends another note saying that if they ever need another Spiderman, she can vouch that I have had the training going to and from my room. You are so right. I am getting to know the wall along the balcony quite well at this point. Jennifer King-Selock,PHQ #55, Pekin, IL, PGBHQ 1999-2000, says that she had hoped to get to Session as she is now living in the Chicago area, which is just a hop, skip and long jump from Middleton, but that her husband is the Chairmen for the Grand York Rite Bodies Session that’s being held in Peoria, IL this week. She adds that she also suffers from acrophobia, and that I should try using my hands to shield my peripheral vision when going to and from my room. I will try that, but then again, just like Spiderman, if I take my hands off the wall, won't I fall to the ground . . . just wondering, lol. Mom Carolyn Woods, who's son Justin is the State Master Councilor of Missouri DeMolay, sends her best wishes to all of the girls in their various competitions as well as to Erica in the Miss International Competition. She also say hello to Mom Toni. Thanks for the note, Carolyn, and I will pass along your message. I am going to get ready to head to the Masonic Meeting this evening. I will be checking back in a bit later tonight. Bye for now.
Hey folks, just got back from the Masonic Dinner and Meeting. What a tremendously interesting night. We started out with a fantastic steak dinner. Those at my table included Supreme Outer Guard Rick Holloway, PASG Rodney Riddle, and Ian Nelson, AGG-Queensland. Following dinner we moved to the auditorium to view the Masonic Third Degree done completely in German. It was fun watching everyone as the attempted to translate the German in English. Since all of us basically knew what was going on, that made it a bit easier, so when we heard something we would think, "So that's how you say that in German." By the way, some of the girls have been handing out some some Dad Craig buttons. Since Missouri's AGG Craig Stratmann is doing his duty as a member of the Air Force Reserve, he is unable to attend Supreme Session. Well, through the thoughtfulness of Missouri's Job's Daughters, he is here in spirit through the Dad Craig buttons. I made sure I wore mine to the Masonic Meeting so he can say he was virtually there. I am sending a shout-out to Mom Lynne Stratmann, PGG-MO. Mom Lynne was Mom Toni's Bethel Guardian at Bethel #12 in St. Louis, and I had the honor to serve as her Associate Bethel Guardian for a few terms. She is also Dad Craig Stratmann's mom. She wishes good luck to Missouri's Ritual Team as well as all the girls in their competitions. She also was glad to see the picture with Barb Hall's car pulling their trailer. Even if she couldn't be at Session, at least her trailer made the trip. She also says that she is proud to claim Mom Toni as one of her girls, as well as me as one of her ABG's. Thank you very much Lynne, that truly means a lot to both of us. While we were at the Masonic Meeting, there was plenty going on back at the hotel. Since I wasn't there, I am going to turn it over to Miss Kim to tell you what was going on: Hey everyone! So far for me, Supreme is going great. I had the opportunity to judge the dance competition and we have some very talented Jobies! All of them did a wonderful job and it truly showed at the showcase later on in the evening. While Dad Ashley was at the Masonic Men's Dinner, I along with Mom Toni, Mom Lori of Idaho along with her mom ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise, the Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant. Great food and great company. We saw Momma Donna and Mom Nancy when we first got there and later Mom Karri Hairer. She was kind enough to offer the rest of her desert to us which we graciously accepted....chocolate nachos. These consisted of fried dough with chocolate sauce, sprinkles, strawberries and a side of ice cream. Delicious, thanks Karri!
After dinner we returned to the hotel for the performing arts showcase and announcement of awards. The show was to start at 8:00 pm but the crowd was more than expected and more chairs had to be added. It was a great turn-out for the evening. Missouri was represented with Brianna Hall of #19 performing a piano solo (she danced at the earlier competition, that's why we have her in her dance outfit in the picture below). We also had Elise Ardrey of #49 perform with a vocal solo and our Missouri Ensemble which consisted of Becca Hairer, Katie Leonberger, Amy Bush, Sarah Heath and Elise Ardrey, all of #49, closing out the evening. I am excited for the Missouri Ensemble as Amy Bush and Elise Ardrey hadn't gotten to the hotel until 1:00 pm and they were scheduled to perform at 1:40 pm. Note that once they arrived they had to find their outfits for the competition and have a quick practice with the other girls. It's super that they were able to perform for the evening. Here are the following daughters from the various jurisdictions who performed:
Dance - KC Conrad of Virginia A note of one of the performances: Karen Eberl of Ohio performed her speech entitled "Jobie A B C", a speech she did for the Grand Chapter of OES in Ohio. She explained Job's Daughters by using every letter of the alphabet and it was amazing! I believe this is something that should be included in promotional items as it does help to explain Job's Daughters and adds more flair to it.
We had numerous Missouri girls receive awards. We are extremely proud of all the daughters. Here is a list of the performing arts awards received tonight: Missouri Ensemble (Becca
Hairer, Katie Leonberger, Amy Bush, Sarah Heath, Elise Ardrey, #49) - 1st Place
Vocal Ensemble Congrats again to these young ladies. Tomorrow is the ritual competitions and I want to say good luck to our Missouri Team. They have been practicing and actually had a curfew of 10:45 pm tonight per their coach, Mom Barb Hall. Let's hope they get a good night's rest and let's all think of them tomorrow around 9:00 am when they will be performing their team competition. Have a great night everyone and we will talk to you tomorrow. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 We are primed and ready for our competitions |
|
Good morning everyone. Just a quick hello before I head out the door. I hope everyone is doing well. Congratulations to all the Missouri girls who took part in the Performing Arts Competitions. They all did so well. For that matter, congratulations to everyone in all the competitions. It takes a lot of hard work to get to the level of expertise and talent that all of these wonderful Job's Daughters display. Keep on rocking girls!
Mom Toni was out very early today for the Board Meeting, while I had a leisurely breakfast of scones and herring - well, maybe it was really Special K. After that I headed down to the Ways & Means room to start selling. It was a brisk morning as more and more people are arriving at Session. One of the items we are session is a Job's Daughter Notebook, and one Bethel Guardian from Washington bought 14 of them for her Bethel. That was pretty cool.
At lunch time, Mom Toni and I attended the Supreme Officers and Deputies Luncheon. We sat at a table with, among others, Mom Shirley Bryngleson, LouiseWindbiel and Fred Windbiel. As always the food was good and the company even better. Mom Coley and Dad Hoglund thanked everyone for being members of the team this year, and then went to each Officer and Deputy and presented them with special gifts. Following the Luncheon, it was back to the Ways & Means Table and more sales. As with the morning, sales went pretty good. Of course while all of this was going on, the girls were going in and out of their various ritual competitions. I know that they all did their best, and regardless of where you might place, if you did your best, you did fine. After the close of the Ways & Means Room, Mom Toni, Miss Kim and I went out to eat. We went to Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurant. Yes, the same one that they ate at yesterday. I really wanted to go so they indulged me and went again. The atmosphere is really cool, sort of like a very casual restaurant on a Caribbean Island. The food was excellent. I had the Cubano sandwich, which was ham, salami, lettuce, mayo on a bun, that is then pressed and toasted. Mighty fine. The HIKE Baseball game was held this evening. The Madison Mallards are the local Minor League baseball team. There was a great turnout for the game, but unfortunate rain came into the equation and after a couple of hours, back everyone came, a bit wetter for the wear.
After everyone had returned, Missouri had a pizza party where we all wished good luck in the Miss International Competition to our Miss Missouri Job's Daughter, Erica Wallace. I know that she will do a wonderful job. The way I figure it is regardless of the outcome of the competition, it's a win-win proposition. If she becomes Miss International, that is fantastic and Missouri will share her with the rest of the world. If she doesn't become Miss International, that is still fantastic because then we get to have her all to ourselves in Missouri Job's Daughters. We also had some great discussions about some of the pending Bylaw amendments that pertain to the Supreme Bethel. All of the girls weighed in on the proposed changes. They really did a great job of thinking about the issues and then speaking clearly and to the point. It was a really cool night. Kudos to Mom Joleyne Nelson, Grand Guide and Mom Sandy Flanery, Grand Marshal for putting the evening together. Time for some shout-outs to some of the great folks who are sending e-mails regarding the Diaries. First of all, to Tawnya Schultz, PHQ #23-OR, GBHQ 91-92, PBG #1. She says that she wishes she could be here, but that reading the diary is the next best thing. Thanks Tawnya. I am glad you are enjoying reading. Carrie McCollim Curry, PHQ, PBG, PGBHQ-IL 96-97, and current Grand Guide of Illinois, says that she will be here tomorrow and to tell Mom Toni that she is looking forward to meeting her. I siure will Carrie. Mom Toni is looking forward to seeing you as well. Leslie and Garry Wilson of Queensland say g'day, and send hugs, love and laughter to all of their friends at Session. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Leslie and Garry are great folks, and the parents of Carmen (Wilson) Jenkinson, who was a fantastic Miss International Job's Daughter back in 2000. I hope to get back to Australia to visit with them. Laurie Lenhardt, Director of Promotion, Bethel #43-MO, thinks that it is awesome the way the girls have been handing out the Dad Craig buttons. She also enjoyed the Performing Arts results, and looks forward to the Ritual Competition results. Thanks Laurie. I think the Dad Craig buttons are awesome as well. I will pass Ritual results along as soon as I have them. Mom Crystal Burress, Director of Epochs #60-MO, says that she is enjoying the Supreme Diaries. She also says that her daughter, Caitlin Burress, GBJP, has been in London, and looks forward to getting home to catch up with all the Session happenings. She also sends here best wishes to all the girls competing, and a big hug and kiss for Mom Toni and Miss Kim. Thanks Crystal, I will pass along your messages. Wow, both of our Grand Bethel Princesses in Europe. How appropriate to have our Royalty in the land of Royalty. Colleen Vezeau, CH #43, sends word that even though she is in Kansas for job training, she can still access the webpage. She sends her congratulations to the Missouri Ensemble, as well as to all the Missouri Girls attending Session. Our Missouri girls are winners regardless of any competitions they may be in and whatever the results are. She also sends her best wishes to Miss Missouri Erica in the MIJD competition. Thanks Colleen. You are so right about the girls being winners, each and every one of them. Well, it is very late again, and my stamina isn't what is was 75 years ago. I reckon I'd best be heading off to bed so I can start early in the morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as opposed to bright-tailed and bushy-eyed. Night folks. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 Pops Sinley cleans up after lunch |
|
Today was the first Business Session of the week, and we got started with a bang. Board of Trustees member Shelly Cole made a presentation about the YPP Program, and then fielded questions. The presentation was very well done, and Shelly also did a wonderful job with the questions, answering every one. There was a humorous moment just before she fielded the questions when she put on a sandwich board (message board that is worn over the shoulders) that had a big bullseye on it. Everyone got a kick out of it.
Following the morning session, I went to the Men of Job Luncheon. As usual at the session, the food was good and the company even better. I sat at a table which included among others, Randy Sinley, PAGG-MO, John Vezeau, PAGG-MO, Rick Holloway, Supreme Outer Guard, Ian Nelson, AGG-Queensland, and Doc Howe, PASG. We ate and talked and just generally had a great time. Our table even did well in the drawing they had following lunch. We had about 6 people win prizes. I won an automobile compass. Pretty cool. While we were at the Men's Luncheon, the girls went to the Royalty Luncheon. I heard that it was a lot of fun and everybody made a bunch of new friend. Following the Luncheon, I was honored to serve as the Host of the Afternoon Session, together with Louise Windbiel, PSG, who served as the hostess. We introduced each other, and then we introduced Mom Coley and Dad Hoglund. then I was off to the Flag Ceremony rehearsal as I was the pianist for the ceremony. Miss Kim ran the rehearsal, and did a wonderful job. It's not easy getting 50 plus girls to get into formation properly and to stand still and the move again when they were supposed to, but she carried it off without a hitch.
The it was a quick dash back to the room (or at least what constitutes a quick dash for me these days) to change for the Formal Banquet. While we were changing, we hear a commotion coming from the hotel lobby. It was the Pep Rally. They were all definitely peppy and Bucky Badger (University of Wisconsin mascot) made an appearance.
Then we finished changing, and headed over to the Formal Banquet. Again the food was great and we had a wonderful group of diners with us. Mom Joleyne Nelson, Mom and Dad Flanery, Lily Flanery, Samantha Sciara, Katie Richardson, and Papa John Vezeau were at our table.
Then it was time for the Formal Opening. It went very well. The Flag Ceremony went off without a hitch, due in part to Mom Toni's Ceremony, Miss Kim's rehearsal, and the girls who really pulled it off well. During the ceremony we loved it when our GBHQ Daniella Brand, Stephanie Crabtree and Brooklyn Childs were all announced as $1000 HIKE Award Recipients. Stephanie was also give a special prize for the number of years she has attained $1000.00 in HIKE Donations. Way to go girls. You rock. After the Formal Opening, Mom Toni and Dad Holloway had a meeting with their counterparts in the various Grand Guardian Councils while I had several mini-rehearsals for the Sessions Arrangements Presentation tomorrow. I hope it will go well. Okay that's about it. My eyes are too tired to focus so I am heading for bed. Night everybody. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 Erin as MO-MO the Bear at the SS-2011 Presentation |
|
Hey, this is Miss Kim and just quick note on the Supreme Bethel Meeting. The new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen is Jenna Larson from Minnesota. Missouri has three new Supreme Bethel Reps: Alagos (Brazil) - Amy Bush #49 Congrats to all of them!! Also, the new Supreme Bethel Rep to Missouri is Brooklyn Barfield from Arizona. Today is the Ritual and Arts & Crafts Awards so we will let you know what happens. Hey everybody, I hope you are all doing great today. It was a very long day, but a lot of great things happened as well. First of all, you have alread read the results of the Supreme Bethel Meeting this morning. Congratulations to the Missouri girls chosen today, as well as all of those who will be representing the Supreme Bethel.
After the Supreme Bethel Meeting, we went to the All Job's Daughter Luncheon. They had a really cute theme of Hollywood, and the place was decorated with film strips, popcorn boxes, and candy like you would buy at a theater concession stand. While the main course of the luncheon was pretty good (lasagna) the girls seemed to prefer the dessert as you can see from the pictures above. In addition to lunch, the Performing Arts, Arts & Crafts and Ritual Awards were presented. I don't have a complete list of all of the Missouri winners, but our Supreme Messenger Team took Third Place. That is fantastic. We have never placed before in this competition, and it is because of the girls hard work as well as the great teaching by their coach, Barb Hall. Congratulations to the team, as well as to all the girls who participated in all of the competitions. The 2011 Supreme Session Arrangements Committee made our presentation today for the SGC Business Meeting, and everyone did a great job. It seems that Elmer Fudd (as portrayed by Miss Kim) was on a picture taking safari, and was looking to take the picture of MO-MO the Bear (as played by Erin Howard of Bethel #47). MO-MO had never had her picture taken, and didn't want to have it taken today. Elmer went all around the room as the delegates laughed and laughed. Finally she thought she had MO-MO cornered among a group of other bears (portrayed by the Missouri Job's Daughters) but they told Elmer that it really wasn't Bear Season, but that it was Moose Season. So Elmer then found a group of Moose (Portrayed by Idaho Job's Daughters) and was going to take pictures of them. They weren't any more ready to have their pictures taken than MO-MO was, and told Elmer that is was not Moose Season, but was in fact Bear Season. This went on until Elmer couldn't take any more and was about to go ballistic when I interrupted and announced that it was time for Picture Takers, Bears and Moose to all get along and find something they could agree on, and then our Session Presentation Video was played. It turns out that the one thing they can agree on was that St. Louis will be a great place for Supreme Session in 2011. Thanks to all who participated in the presentation, and then helped to hand out packets containing info about St. Louis, as well as some Bear Charms and Moose Eggs. Oh, by the way, as you can see by the picture at the beginning of today's diary, MO-MO did get her picture taken. The rest of the Business Session followed, and for the first time the SGC passed an immediate amendment (One presented at the Session as opposed to being received in the office on or before April 1. Immediate Amendments have to be passed unanimously. Even one dissenting vote sends it down to defeat), The amendment allowed for Queensland to become a JGC, but still remain incorporated in order to remain compliant with Australian Law. Everyone was so happy that this had passed and they were cheering, laughing and crying all at the same time.
Following the Business Session, we went directly to the Missouri-Idaho Dinner. This was well attended by those from both jurisdictions, and everybody really got a chance to know each other. Everyone introduced themselves and it was nice to associate faces with some folks that I have only met via e-mail. Mom Nancy Knarr wished our Miss Missouri Erica well in the Miss International Competition, and later presented Mom Toni (as Supreme Marshal) and Momma Donna Goede (who will be the Supreme Treasurer this coming year) with special gifts. Then the Grand Guardian of Idaho present Rick Holloway with a gift. Mom Toni announced her Supreme Bethel appointments. They are Mom Linda Sinley, PGG-MO, who will be be Supreme Bethel Guardian in 2010-2011, and James Day, PAGG-ID, who will be the Associate Supreme Bethel Guardian. I know that they will do a great job. I served as Associate Supreme Bethel Guardian in 1998-1999, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. Working with Job's Daughters from around the world is so cool. Linda and James will have one of the best jobs in our Order.
After dinner it was time for the Miss International Pageant. All of the contestants looked beautiful in their formal gowns. Our Miss Missouri, Erica Wallace, represented Missouri Job's Daugters in wonderful fashion. Following the introductions of all of the contestants by retiring Miss International Brittney Utley and MC Robert Helmic, the Semi-Finalists. It was humorous as Erica, who was contestant #8, jumped just a bit when contestant #18 was announced as one of the Semi-Finalists. She jumped even more when she was named as one. They were led off-stage, and then one by one they returned and answered the final question. Erica did a great job, not only on her answer, but throughout the entire competition, and we were all thrilled when she was named as the 2nd Runner-Up. Then Megan Semaniuk of Alberta was announced as the new Miss International Job's Daughter. Megan is a wonderful young lady, and will do a great job. Plus, her dad is one of the biggest St. Louis Cardinal fans you will find regardless of where they live. Congratulations to Megan, as well as to Erica. Missouri is very proud of you. Okay, it's time for some shout-outs. First of all to Margaret Thompson, BG #23, Queensland. She thanks the delegates here at Supreme for making sure that Queensland will continue to be part of the Job's Daughters family and for giving our Daughters here the chance to continue to benefit from the teachings of the Order. Thank you Margaret. I whole-heartedly agree. Mom Ramona May, PHQ #12, PBG #21-MO, writes that she is enjoying the diary. She also says the the Missouri Girls all look beautiful, and that she loves the Dad Craig buttons. She thinks we need to keep wearing them until Dad Craig is back home safely. Couldn't agree more Ramona. Thanks for the note. Timmie-Lynn Poglajen, PGG and Assisting Supreme Deputy to Montana sends word that she wanted to be here, but that she will be with her husband at the Pacific Northwest Shrine Association. She says that she is keeping up by reading the diary, and sends lots of love to everyone. Thanks Timmie-Lynn. We miss you and wish you were here. Garry Wilson, says hello again and sends word that he was told by Ian Nelson that he has some degree of bias towards his newest grandson Sean Robert Jenkinson. Garry says that, "Sean is just, perfect & well you know how it goes." Yes I do, Garry, After all, when someone is just perfect, it's not bias, its simply being aware of the obvious. Thanks for the note Garry, and take care. Nancy Spraker, PHQ #97-IL, says that she is a regular reader of my Supreme Diaries, and that she is currently serving as the 7th District President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veteran of Foreign Wars, IL. She states that Job's Daughterw gave me the leadership skills she needed in life, and that she wishes Mom Toni well. Thank you Nancy. Good Luck you you in your position as President, and I will pass you message along to Mom Toni. Jen Hallahan, Missouri's GBSP, sends word that she is now in the Netherlands, and says hi to everybody at Supreme Session. She is enjoying reading the diary, and that it is keeping her up to date on the Jobie World. Thanks Jen. Have fun on your trip. I want to hear all about it when you get back. Well, that's about it for tonight. I hope
everyone is enjoying this years Supreme Diary. Thanks for reading
and I will be talking to you later. Night all. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 Momma Donna, Papa John and Mom Toni at the Grands and Past Grands Luncheon |
|
Hey folks. Just getting up and out to the morning Business
Session. Talk to you later. Checking in before lunch to let everybody know the results of the SGC Elections today:
Supreme Guardian: Marilyn Olson, Wyoming
Board of Trustees: Denise Noonan, Indiana Congratulations to the newly elected Supreme Council Officers and members of the Board of Trustees. Back later.
Hello all, Miss Kim again and here are the results of the ritual competition:
Tiffany Hudson, #19 - 3rd Place: Chaplain, Ages 15-20 Erin Howard, #47 - 1st Place: 1st Messenger, Ages 10-14 Elise Ardrey, #49 - 1st Place: 1st Messenger, Ages 15-20 Amy Bush, #49 - 1st Place, 2nd Messenger, Ages 15-20 Carolyn Kirchhoff, #4 - 2nd Place: 3rd Messenger, Ages 10-14 Erica Wallace, #7 - 1st Place: 4th Messenger, Ages 15-20 Brianna Hall, #19 - 1st Place: Story of Job, Ages 10-14 Becca Hairer, #49 - 3rd Place: Story of Job, Ages 10-14
Congratulations to all of these awesome young ladies! They all worked hard and it showed! I guess that's all you wanted to know......what, the team competition.....you wanna know.....really.....well I guess I can tell you. I'm extremely excited to type that Missouri's Team tied for 3rd Place!!!! We are so proud of these fantastic young ladies and were so excited for them yesterday. Those in the team were Katie Richardson #33, Brianna Hall #19, Samantha Sciara #33, Carolyn Kirchhoff #4 and Katie Leonberger #49. Great job to them and special thanks to Mom Barb Hall for coaching them over the last few months. We also had numerous girls win awards for Arts & Crafts but I don't have those with me at the moment. Once I know who they are I will let everyone know. Hey folks, what's going on? A lot here, although now it kind of starts to wind down a bit. As you can see by the results above, we had the Supreme Guardian Council Elections today. Everything ran very smooth and we had some very good people elected. Basically all of the current Line Officers moved up in turn, which means that Mom Toni was elected as the new Supreme Guide. The new kids on the block are Bobbie Hoglund from Maryland who was elected as the new Supreme Marshal. Bobbie is the wife of current ASG Mike Hoglund, and is a very dedicated worker for Job's Daughters. The other new kid is Randy Hansen of Utah who was elected as the new Supreme Outer Guard. Randy is a great guy, and I know that he will do a great job. You know, it seems like it was just yesterday that Mom Toni was standing for Supreme Marshal, now here it is a year later and that year has just zipped by. I know that Mom Toni sends her thanks to all who have supported her. She really appreciates all of the love and kindness that has been shown to her, and looks forward to continuing through the line working for the betterment of Job's Daughters everywhere. As you can also see, the Missouri girls did a great job in the Ritual Competition. With so many 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in individual competitions, as well as that fantastic 3rd place finish in the Team Competition, Missouri really made their mark on this Supreme Session. Congratulations to all of the girls, as well as those who worked with them to get them primed and ready for this session.
Following the morning Business Session, we attended the Grands and Past Grands Luncheon. Once again the food was fine and the company fantastic. Mom Toni and I were at a table of Missouri folks that included Papa John Vezeau, Momma Donna Goede, Mom Patti Brand, Mom Linda Sinley, Pops Randy Sinley, Mom Nancy Knarr, Mom Nelda Kaeser and Dad Richard Kaeser. We had a great time eating and talking. Just generally solving the problems of the world, lol. You know how it is ;) Then it was back to the Business Session. We worked on some amendments. Probably the ones that most people were interested were the amendment to include having a Masonic Sponsor as a qualification for members and the amendment to place certain requirements on those who could aspire to the office of Supreme Bethel Honored Queen. Both amendments failed. One exciting item that passes was when Mom Toni moved that Supreme Session 2011 be held in St. Louis, Missouri on July 27 through July 30. As I said, the motion passed unanimously. Woo-hoo, Session is coming back to St. Louis after 35 years. After all of the business was finished, a special presentation was made to retiring Board Members Shelly Cole and Rod Haney. They did fantastic jobs on the Board and will be greatly missed. Then Janine Coley and Mike Hoglund gave their final remarks, and left the room to a standing ovation. They did a fantastic job as Supreme Guardian and Associate Supreme Guardian, and they leave office greatly admired.
Mom Toni and I attended the Past Supreme's Dinner. Mom Shirley Bryngleson was the President and I was the Vice-President this year. We had some great food, and mixed it up with some wonderful friends. In additions, we Initiated Denise Noonan and Tom Sapp into the club (You get Initiated the year after you retire as SG and ASG). I had the honor of Initiating them, and we had some great fun. Denise and Tom are great sports good friends. Congratulations on becoming members.
Following the dinner, we went to the Supreme Bethel Meeting. It was thrilling to see all of the new officers and representatives getting Installed, and it was extra thrilling to seen Briana, Amy, Kelly and Sarah take part in the ceremony. Congratulations to all of these great girls. While I was there I ran into Heather Reardon, who was the SBHQ when I was the Associate Supreme Bethel Guardian. It was great catching up on things with her. She was, and is still, a really cool person.
The girls then had their Badger Bash dance. I peeked in the room and everybody was rocking. The Missouri girls were right there in the center of the action, displaying energy that you wouldn't think they would have left after so many days at Session. They sure have a lot more left in the tank than I do. Still, as you can see from the last two pictures above, some of the young folks gave in a bit early, while some of the more seasoned veterans kept up the pace until the end of the night. Way to go guys, win one for the home team, lol.
Meanwhile Mom Toni had a 2008-2009 Supreme Officers and Deputies meeting. They more or less got their marching orders for the year. Then it was up to the room. I sat down to write this latest entry when I heard the sounds of beautiful singing coming from outside the door. All of the Job's Daughters in the hotel were doing the curtain call. They sang Now Our Work Is Over and Nearer My God To Thee. It was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes, and actually made me come out onto the balcony. Now that is saying something. Did I go to the edge of the balcony? Well, no, but hey, they got me out there and that is pretty amazing.
You would think after all of the day's activities, that everyone would be ready for bed. No, no, no, not our energetic Missouri Jobies. Now it was time to get a late night bite to eat. They headed to Denny's, chowed down, and had fun talking about all the things they have done this year at Session. After that, they finally wound down and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. That's about it for now folks. I'll be checking back in tomorrow. Night all. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 . . . While others aren't quite bright enough to take advantage of the down time |
|
Hello folks. I have a few minutes before I have to get going. It was late last night when I was doing my update so I didn't do any shout-outs. I will start today with some. First of all to Mom Ginny Goede, Grand Secretary-MO and our SS-2011 Secretary/Treasurer. She says that since she can't be here this year, she is keeping up through the diary and that it is almost like being here to share in the fun and activities. She sends her congratulations to Mom Toni, and says it's hard to believe one year is already behind us. That's for sure, Ginny. Thanks a bunch for the note. Mom Cindy Brock, Vice Grand Guardian-MO, says that every year the diary gets better, and that it's nice to be able to see what's going on at Supreme. Thanks Cindy. Wish you could be here with us. We are having a blast. Mom Ramona May, PHQ #12, PBG #21, loves all the great news about the competitions and sends her own big shout-out to the girls who participated. Thanks Ramona. I will second that. Colleen Vezeau, CH #43, sends her congratulations to our Miss Missouri Erica Wallace, who was the 2nd Runner-Up in the Miss International Pageant. She is so proud of you and your wonderful accomplishment. She that all of the great people Missouri Job's Daughters are proud of Erica as well as all of our Missouri Girls here at Supreme. You got that right Colleen. BTW, she sent that at 4:45 a.m. so that shows how much the great people of Missouri are supporting our Daughters. They want the info 24 hours a day. Speaking of 24 hours a day, Mom Kathy Rodemacher, PBG #1 & #19, POF #12, got up at 4:30 a.m. to read one of my updates, and adds her congratulations to the Missouri Ensemble, the Missouri Ritual Team, and all the girls who did so well. She says she just couldn't wait until a decent hour to find out the results. I know how it is Kathy. Actually, when you are reading at 4:30 a.m., you are probably reading a post that is just over an hour old. It has been a few late nights here at Session, but hey, that's part of the fun. Ian Nelson, AGG Queensland, who is here at session
writes that he is in trouble again, but as he also says, what's new, lol.
He says that on the night of the Miss International Pageant, he sent a
text message to Rhonda from the Pageant about how beautiful Carita
looked etc.. all the right things. What he did not do was mention who
won. The reply he got informed him that he had neglected to mention who
won, and that she got it off the diary. He thanks me for the
keeping the diary up and mentions that he found out things about
Session, and he is here. Thanks Ian, I really appreciate it.
He also talks a bit about how he agrees with ASG Mike Hoglund's retiring
remarks concerning the occasional heated debate over issues in the
Business Sessions. Mike basically said that we need to remember
the other person with whom we may disagree is just as passionate for the
Order and may want the same thing but is coming from a different angle.
That is so true, and sometimes we all forget that the best interests of
our Daughters is why we are all here and that we need to try to work
together to help build our Order. Ian also says that the
Queensland Job's Daughters are so pleased that JDI is able to continue
in Queensland legally, regardless of whether it is a GGC or a JGC, and
that they are on our way back up there as far as numbers go. They have a
young, dynamic and vibrant
My youngest daughter, Katie, has come up to sing tonight at the Installation. She and her Aunt Eva left St. Louis this morning around 6:00, and got in roughly at 12:30 p.m. After they got here, we all went to the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant for lunch (yes, it was a very popular destination this week). Following lunch we headed back to the hotel for the SGC Installation Rehearsal.
The Installation Rehearsal ran fairly long, but in the end they got everything going in the right direction. Katie and I practiced the songs we will be performing tonight. Katie will be joined on a couple of songs by Heidi Hortley and Jessica Robidoux, both PHQ's from Wyoming. Katie will be doing two songs solo as well. I must say that Katie and I had a great time at the rehearsal. We both got a case of the giggles, and I am surprised they didn't throw both of us out, lol. Eventually we made it through it, and then went back to the room to rest for a bit and change clothes.
We headed over to the SGC Installation around 6:30 p.m. Of course there is the usual round of pictures that have to be taken before anything really gets underway. About 7:30, the evening really kicked of with Katie's rendition of My Wish. Susan Mentel, PSG-IL and Rodney Riddle, PASG-VA, served as the Installing Officers. They did a great job, and really kept the Installation flowing. Missouri had a bit extra to cheer about this year as in addition to Mom Toni being Installed as Supreme Guide, Momma Donna Goede was installed as Supreme Treasurer. Way to go Missouri, yeah! Mom Marily Olson, PGG-WY, was installed as Supreme Guardian, and Bob Clore, PAGG-VA, was installed as Associate Supreme Guardian. Both gave excellent speeches and I know that they will do their very best for our Order. Following the Installation everyone got a chance to talk for a bit before leaving the room. We went back to our room, changed clothes and then went out to grab a bite to eat. We went to Boston's were I had some excellent pizza. Those who went were Mom Toni, Miss Kim, Katie and Aunt Eva. We had a good time and enjoyed our food. They we went back to the hotel where Mom Toni and I visited for a bit with amont others, Shirley Bryngleson, Brenda Hanson, Shelly Cole, Richard Lewis, Pat Kay and Dave Robblee. We had a great time talking about how long the week seemed earlier, but now that it has just about ended, how quickly it seemed to have been. Finally we called it a night and I headed up to the room to catch up on the diary. Just a few Shout-Outs before I hit the sack. Shannon Snell, PHQ #7 AZ, PSBHQ 91-92, sends word that she is enjoying the diary. She wanted to come to Session this year, but just graduation and then a trip to Boston so it just wasn't in the cards. She said that her mom was here and that her niece Mackenzie was the Installing Supreme Bethel Guide. Thanks Shannon. Hope you can make it to St. Louis in 2011. Crystal Burress, Director of Epochs #60-MO, say that she and her daughter, GBJP Caitlin, are proud of all the Missouri Job's Daughters at Session. They represented our Jurisdiction well. She is very appreciated of the diary, and feels as if she has been here, only without the sleep deprivation. Crystal, you said a mouthful as I am typing this at 3:30 a.m. Finally, Dad Craig Stratman, AGG-MO, who is on deployment with the Air Force Reserve, sends this message: Congratulations to our Competiton Award winners
……. Way to Go!! As I have browsed the pictures in Dad Ashley's Supreme Diary, I must say those are some nice looking Henleys that Mom Nancy & Mom Sandy are wearing! -- momentary pause, tape tearing, cardboard ripping--- Hey, Cool!! I finally got mine in the mail today, what a comfy shirt…… I keep hearing about the Dad Craig buttons, at Supreme; I am thinking OMG! I hope it's not the mug shot from the post office wall; I do hope it's my best (bald) side……… <smile> As the week at Supreme wraps up, have a safe journey to your destination, wherever it may be. Hope you chatted with old friends and made some new friends; the memories will last a lifetime… He goes on the mention a couple of other items, and you can read the entire message on the Items of Note Page (How's that for getting you to look at other sections of the website, lol). Okay folks, that's about it for tonight. We head for home tomorrow . . . well, later today, actually. I will try to check in before we head out, but if not, I will be back for a wrap-up when I get back to St. Louis. Take care and good night. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
|
|
 . . . and a few items in the ice box. It must be time to head for home |
|
Hey everybody, what's up. Well, I am right now. Actually, I am the only one in the room up right now. Mom Toni and Miss Kim are both still snoozing, but that's okay. It has been a long Session, but is has been a very productive one. Just time for a couple of more shout-outs. Ron Zimmer, Grand Librarian-MO, writes that he appreciates the effort in keeping everybody up to date regarding Session Info. He sends his congratulations to all who competed in the various competitions, and of course his buttons popped at how well the Daughters form Bethel #19 did (Ron is also the Guardian Director of Epochs for Bethel #19). Ron was on the Missouri Website Committee for many years, and I have known him since my DeMolay days many, many . . . oh heck, many, many, many years ago, lol. Thanks for the note, Ron. I appreciate it. Carmen Wilson Jenkinson, PHQ and Miss International Job's Daughter, 2000-2001, sends word that she had been keeping up with Session via the diary again this year. Carmen is a very good friend and was an outstanding Miss International, and I'm not just saying that because she became MIJD the same year I was elected into the Supreme Line. She performed her duties in an excellent manner, and everywhere she went she was a true ambassador for the good of the Order. Carmen says she has been busy with her beautiful five week old baby boy, Sean (Carmen's dad, Garry, mentioned him earlier in the diary. You remember the perfect little boy :). Carmen says she enjoys my sense of humor and wonders if I might have been and Aussie in a former life? Who knows, I just might have been, and that's a good thing. She hopes to get back to Session soon. Hey Carmen, St. Louis in 2011 would be the perfect place, don't you think? Well, I'd better get the computer packed up and ready to go. Just about every thing else has been packed and some is already in the car, waiting for the trip home. I will try to take a few pictures along the way and will post them later this evening.
Hey folks. We made it home safely and our Supreme Session Adventure for 2008 has officially come to a close. It was nice to have a fairly uneventful trip home for a change. As I think back on the Session, a movie on television this morning kind of put things in perspective. When I woke up, Sleepless in Seattle was on. I thought that it was somewhat appropriate as we have had several Sleepless in Middleton nights during Supreme Session as the days stretched from early in the morning to very late at night. In between rising for the days and settling in for the nights we have seen the blossoming of the JDI Youth Protection Program; we have seen our Missouri girls arrive in force and give their best in the various competitions; we have seen the great folks of Missouri and and Idaho really get to know each other; we have seen our girls take several awards, including a first time Third-Place finish in the Team Ritual Competition, we have seen several Missouri girls selected to be Supreme Bethel Representatives and one as an Installing Flag Bearer, we have seen our Miss Missouri do so well and get 2nd Runner-Up in the Miss International Competition, we have seen one of our adults join the Supreme Bethel Committee where she will eventually become the Supreme Bethel Guardian in a few years, another elected and Installed as the new Supreme Guide in the line to become the Supreme Guardian, and yet one more Installed as the new Supreme Treasurer, and we have seen the body of the SGC vote to have Supreme Session in St. Louis, Missouri from July 27 to July 30, 2011. Yes, it has been a very busy Session, and those are just a few of the highlights. There is so much more to the Supreme Session experience that I cannot do justice to with the words I write in my little corner of the World Wide Web. The many tours, the shopping, the visiting with friends from other countries, the shopping, the new restaurants in which to dine, the shopping, the many new sights to see, the shopping, the experiences that will last a lifetime . . . oh, did I mention the shopping. Yes, you truly have to experience Supreme Session in person, but I know that is not always possible, so what I try to do is to just give you a glimpse of what I see through my eyes. To give you a bit of the flavor of Session - to whet your appetite so to speak so that when you get the chance to come to Session, you can hit the ground running and just savor everything that goes on. Thanks to you all for reading. I genuinely appreciate the fact that you take the time out of your busy schedules to visit. Thanks to all who sent e-mails. You have all become a big part of this diary and I enjoy reading all of your comments and love passing on your messages. Sometimes I get the opportunity to catch someone off guard with a message from a friend far away and the look on their faces is just priceless. You can almost see them transport home for a brief instance, as if their friend was giving them the message in person. That is pretty cool and as my expression for the week goes, "That's a good thing." Well, that's about it. This is the sixth-floor spider man, signing off. Thanks again for reading and we will be seeing you along the trail. |
To return to the Session Diary Table of Contents, click
