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Supreme Session 2009 |
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Supreme Session 2009 |
| Thursday, July 30 | Friday, July 31 | Saturday, August 1 |
| Sunday, August 2 | Monday, August 3 | Tuesday, August 4 |
| Wednesday, August 5 | Thursday, August 6 | Friday, August 7 |
| Saturday, August 8 | Sunday, August 9 | Monday, August 10 |
Missouri Awards & Honors
8/18 |
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| Thanks for Visiting. If you are of a mind, drop me a note. | ||
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 Molly wants to drive |
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 . . . All the way to the next block, lol |
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Hey folks, getting ready to leave in a bit. We have been packing bit by bit over the past few days. We have a mountain of luggage and a bunch of Ways & Means Items for the Session Sales Table. By the way, we could still use some help in staffing the table. We have already had some Missouri folks volunteer as well as some Idaho people, but there is always room for more help If you discover you have some down time at Session, please volunteer to help out at the table. We sure would appreciate it. We have our first Session Shout-Out to send. On July 26, Colleen Vezeau, the Chairperson of Missouri Grandparents & Friends Club, sent the following e-mail:
Thanks for the e-mail Colleen. I am sure that everyone will be taking your advice. Also sending a Session Shout-Out to Mom Nelda Kaeser, PGG-MO. I just received this message on July 28 via Facebook.
Nelda, we may have to get a copy of that book. Take care and we will be talking to you later. Another belated Session Shout-Out goes to Dad Jeff Kitsmiller who sent us Best Wishes for a safe trip. This was left out of my original session notes. Sorry about that and thanks Jeff. I appreciate it. Okay, it's time to get the car packed and ready to roll. Our first stop on the way to Richmond will be Cleveland, Ohio . . . WHAT! Hey, wait a minute, Cleveland's not on the way from St. Louis to Richmond. That's true, but Mom Toni and I are going to take the opportunity to visit a couple of places on the way to Session. Our first stop will be Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That should be fun. After that we will be heading to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to visit the famous Civil War Battlefield. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Mom Toni doesn't talk me into going to the Boyd's Bear factory that is close to Gettysburg as well. After that, it will be on to Richmond, Virginia for what promises to be a wonderful Supreme Session. That's about it for now. Depending on my Internet Access during the trip, I will be checking in with some updates. I might even twitter if I can figure out how to tweet from my phone. My Twitter address is http://twitter.com/ashleyunderwood for those interested. I don't Tweet a whole lot but maybe on this trip I will do a bit more. We shall see. Anyway, we have some jigsaw puzzle building to do before we leave (figuring out how everything is going to fit in the car) so I guess I had better get moving. Take care and we will be talking to you later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey folks. I am sitting in a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio. Once we got packed today (and boy, the car is packed to the roof), we got away about 3:00 this afternoon and promptly hit a mess of traffic in downtown St. Louis. We bypassed the Poplar Street Bridge and used the Martin Luther King bridge, which was a bit let congested. On the way Mom Toni and I were talking and decided that maybe we would skip the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and take that trip over Labor Day weekend. We had pretty much decided that, and I sent a twitter message to that effect (my twitter also automatically posts on my Facebook account as well). So we then concentrated on the driving aspect. We drove in pouring rain the entire trip so it was not a particularly fun drive. When we checked in to the hotel here and I had a chance to read my e-mail, it turns out that Timmie-Lynn Poglajen, a Past Grand Guardian of Montana, and a Supreme Officer during Mom Shirley Bryngelson's and my year as SG and ASG, will be visiting the Hall tomorrow, so now the trip is back on. We still may go again in September, but as of now, the trip tomorrow is back on. So anyway a Session Shout Out to Timmie-Lynn and we hope to see you tomorrow. I am sending a Session Shout-Out to another PGG of Montana, Janet Massey, who said that she is anxious to read the diary and wishes us a great time. Thanks Janet. We will sure do our best. Also sending Session Shout-Outs to Margaret Thompson of Queensland who tells us that she is eagerly awaiting this years moments from Session and wishes us a great trip. Thanks Margaret. We will, especially if the rain would consider letting up for a bit. Not sure about that because looking at the forecast things look wet until Wednesday. Oh well, at least we will be nice and clean, lol. I also received another e-mail from someone else in Montana, but the person forgot to sign it. Thanks for the best wishes. If you will contact me again and let me know who you are I will give you proper credit. A Session Shout-Out also goes to Laurie Lenhardt of Missouri who writes that she is looking forward to hearing about Supreme and will be checking the diary. She also wishes us safe travels. Thanks Laurie, I appreciate it. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Kathy Rodemacher of Missouri who also wishes us a safe trip and is looking forward to reading the diary entries. Thanks Kathy. I hope what I wind up writing is worth reading, lol. Well, that's about it for now. I'd better hit the sack. We hope to get up and out early tomorrow for the next leg of our trip . . . yeah, that's gonna happen, lol. Take care everyone and we will visit again later. |
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 . . . Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
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 Johnny Cash's Tour Bus |
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Good morning everybody. Just got back to the room after having breakfast. Getting ready to get back in the car and head for Cleveland. It is still raining and looks like it might stay that way so I reckon that we are going to be some wetheads. We are looking forward to visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I will try to sign back on this evening with another report when we check into our hotel room in Gettysburg. Until then, if you are on Twitter, I will be tweeting occasionally throughout the day. Again my address is http://twitter.com/ashleyunderwood. If you are one of my Facebook friends, my twitter automatically updates my status there as well. I have a few more Session Shout-Outs to send. First to Jo Knibb. Jo was a member of Bethel #3 in St. Louis and is a Past Matron of her OES Chapter. Jo says to "bring back some good pix of the battlefield for my SIL please." I will try to do that. Hopefully the weather tomorrow will be more cooperative. A Session Shout-Out goes to Natalie Hansen, a PHQ from Rawlins, Wyoming. Natalie writes, "This is the first supreme I'll have missed in 5 years! I'm looking forward to seeing who our new leaders are, and how the amendments turn out. Thanks so much for the diaries, and have great time at session!" Thanks Natalie, we sure will. Sorry you won't be able to be at Session but I will try to keep you up to date with the exciting events and activities. I will be seeing my Supreme partner and Wyoming native Mom Shirley Bryngelson at Session so I will have her send you a big Session Hello. Also sending a Session Shout-Out to Stephanie Boehme Schonaerts, who is a PHQ of Bethel #12 in St. Louis. She writes, "what's the deal with you and my dad!?! can't you go anywhere without hitting a battlefield?" Stephanie's dad is Charlie Boehme, who is a Past Master of King Solomon Lodge #95 and an excellent singer. I worked with Charlie in bands for many years and he sang at my daughter Katie's Wedding Reception. Charlie is also a history buff like myself, especially when it comes to the Civil War. A lot of his trips revolve around what Civil War battlefield is nearby. His children would kid him about not being able to drive down the street without hitting a battlefield. I have had some similar experiences with battlefields from the Civil War and other conflicts and historical sights as well. I remember one trip we took to San Antonio. Of course when you go to San Antonio you have to visit the Alamo (sight of a major battle in the Texas Revolution) . . . at least in my book you do. Certain members of my family . . . okay, every member of my family would probably disagree. They saw it once and once was enough. I can go there time and time again, spending hours just sort of meandering around. Well, on one trip there we . . . okay, "I" . . . decided to take the Mission Trail Tour. This is a tour that includes 5 old Spanish Missions around the city, San José, Concepción, San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo), San Francisco de la Espada, and San Juan Capistrano. Well the Alamo is kept up very well, even though what is left of the original mission/fort is only a small fraction of the size it was during it's time as a battlefield. Mission San Jose has been beautifully restored and look pretty much like it did in it's hey day. The rest were in various states of decline to the point that when you were at the final Mission, it wasn't much to look at, at least to the average eye. I loved it. Trying to imagine what it looked like almost 300 years ago. I wandered around while everyone else grew progressively more bored. Finally, as she was dragging me kicking and screaming away from the crumbling, decaying remains of the once proud Mission, Mom Toni said that I was the only one she know who could have a great time looking at a big pile of rocks. Okay, I have to confess, she was right. Actually we need to go back there. I understand that they have done some serious restoration work along the trail (they are now part of the National Park Service) and even the worst preserved of the Missions has been given some tender loving restoration care . . . Just don't tell Mom Toni. Anyway, Charlie is the same way. He will wander over an old Civil War Battlefield, picturing the historical events in his mind while his poor family looks longingly at the car, wishing they were in it heading towards Disneyworld or some other exciting destination. Actually Stephanie works for Disney now so I guess she got her wish in the end. Thanks for the note Stephanie, and to actually answer your question, no, neither your dad nor I can go anywhere without hitting a battlefield. That's just the way we roll, lol. Okay, it's time to shut this puppy down and head for Cleveland. I will talk to you later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trip to Cleveland was fairly uneventful and luckily the weather was fairly cooperative. I snoozed for a big part of the trip while Mom Toni handled the driving duties. When we got to Cleveland we headed straight for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is right on the shore of Lake Erie and is a beautiful facility. We also got very lucky and found a parking spot very near the Hall. We took a few pictures, but unfortunately you are only allowed to take picture outside the building and in the Lobby. They you have to check your camera and continue on with your tour. For an old rocker like me, the visit was outstanding. They have displays for many of my musical heroes, including the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Johnnie Johnson, who was Chuck Berry's piano player, Jerry Lee Lewis, and so many others. About the only one not there that I feel deserve to be is my favorite group, Chicago, but that is another argument for another day. I have been lucky enough to have played piano with Chuck Berry, which was pretty cool, as well as to play with and glean knowledge from Johnnie Johnson. To see them enshrined in the Hall was doubly thrilling when I could tell people, "Hey, I worked with them." Of course the total strangers that I told that would look at me as if I was some crazy old man babbling nonsense about imagined former glories. Well, they had the crazy old man part correct anyway. Also, we missed Timmie-Lynn Poglajen. The Hall is a big place and we could have been on opposite sides of the place, or even one exhibit away from each other and not known it. I hope she enjoyed the Hall as much as I did. We finished our visit and then hit the road to Gettysburg. Unfortunately a lot of this trip was on a long stretch of steep, winding foggy roads, which made for some nervous driving, but in the end we made it to our hotel about 1:30 this morning. I have posted a few pictures from our trip so far. I hope you enjoy them. I will be talking to you later. |
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 My wristband from the R&R Hall of Fame. Hmmm, purple, with a triangle, Job's Daughters must be in the Hall of Fame as well! |
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Good morning everybody. Unfortunately I have some sad news to start the day. Mary Matushek, the mother of Linda Munier, the new Grand Marshal of Missouri, and Grandmother of Mary C. Johnson, who is currently the Honored Queen of Bethel #43 in Fenton, Missouri. passed away this morning back in St. Louis.. Here is an e-mail from Linda:
Mary was also the mother of Connie Johnson, PHQ Bethel #12, St. Louis. Connie passed away several years ago. Grandma Mary was very active with Bethel #43, and as a member of Bethel #12's Mother's Club. She will truly be missed by all whose lives she touched. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers Today our agenda includes a trip to the Boyd's Bear Store and a tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Then we will be heading on in to Richmond, Virginia. I will check in later.
Hey there, it's about 2:30 a.m. and I am sitting in our room at the Richmond-Marriott. We had a wonderful day today although it started with the sad news about Grandma Mary. We went first to Boyd's Bear Country, which is a huge store where they sell nothing be Boyd's Bears and associated merchandise. It is really neat, especially if you are a bear lover like Mom Toni. They had a Christmas in July sale and even though today was August 1st, Mom Toni still managed to score a number of great deals. After we left Boyd's Bear Country, we went to O'Rourke's Eatery where we had a really good lunch, and then it was on to the Battlefield. If you ever get a chance to visit Gettysburg, please do so. The entire battlefield is marked with Monuments to various States, army divisions and individuals, as well as being well preserved. There are markers that tell you the story of the 3 day battle and you can really get a sense of what happened in 1863. There is also an outstanding Visitor's Center with a film, and an amazing multi-media museum that tells the story of the battle and puts it in it's proper historical context. In addition to the historical overview of the events, there are numerous individual soldier's stories and you get a feel for the human aspect of the battle. All in all it was a day well spent. Then it was time for the drive to Richmond. We got to the hotel about 11:30, got all the luggage and ways & means items up to our room and sat down to relax a bit. I have a few Session Shout-Outs to send. Ian Nelson, PAGG Queensland, sent a nice note about the Session Diary and hopes that everyone here has a great time. He is looking forward to hearing about everything. Thanks Ian. I will do my best to keep you updated. Carolyn Woods, a very active DeMolay, Rainbow and Jobie Mom, sends word via Facebook that she has a Boyd's Bear. They are very popular and very cute, so you have a winner Carolyn. Sean Scott, an ABG from California sends word that he was at Gettysburg today as well. Man, I am missing everybody during my visits. Well, as I said with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Gettysburg is a big place and easy to miss folks. I hope you had an enjoyable visit Sean. Ruth Turpin, PBG #29 in Missouri, sends us best wishes for a good week. Thanks Ruth, I appreciate it. Teirnee Childers, Miss International Job's Daughter 2004, says humorously that she is so jealous about our trip to Gettysburg. Thanks Teirnee. She was a wonderful MIJD and is still involved with Job's Daughters. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Melanie Strachan, PGG Queensland. She tells us via Facebook that she came through St. Louis on her way here and that it looks like a beautiful city. You are correct Melanie. Hopefully you will get to see it close up when you come to Supreme Session in St. Louis in 2011 (how's that for getting in a quick plug, lol). Okay folks, it's pretty late and I am getting really tired so I will sign off until tomorrow. Talk to you later. |
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 Some of the SS 2011 Ways & Means Items |
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Hey folks, I hope all is going well where you are. We got to sleep in a bit this morning and boy did it feel good. Things start to get rolling today. Mom Toni gets down to work with the Board Meeting at 12:30 and at 2:00 I will be helping to set up the Session Sales table as well as playing piano for the Church Service later this afternoon. I am sending a Session Shout-Out to Ron Zimmer, GDoE Bethel #19 in Missouri, who thanks me for mentioning Gettysburg. It is now on his list to visit as he works his way toward Richmond. He also sends his best wishes for all the girls well in Ritual competition this week and gives a big GO TEAM to the Missouri Messenger Team. He will be arriving at Session on Thursday. We will see you then Ron. Okay, I got a lot of stuff to do so I will say so long for now and will check back in later on.
Hey there, I am back for a quick note. A lot of the Missouri crew checked in today. I saw Grand Guardian Mom Joleyne and her sister Cindy, Miss Missouri Tiffany and her parents Brad and Sher, Grand Secretary Mom Ginny and PAGG Lon Goede, PGG Linda Sinley, her husband PAGG Randy Sinley and their daughter, PGBHQ Lori Hainen. Grand Guide Miss Kim is here and PGG Momma Donna, plus there are others I just haven't seen yet. Funny thing with Miss Kim, she was coming up to the room and unfortunately I had given her the wrong room number (309 instead of 329). She called and said she was right outside the door and to open it. I opened my door and she was nowhere in sight. For a minute we thought that she was in the wrong hotel but finally figured out the goof on the room number. Hey, I'm old and absent minded, what do you want. At least I got her to the right floor. Later on we went to set up the Session Sales table. Actually Miss Kim together with Lorrie Madsen from Idaho, along with her mother and daughter, did all the work. I had not eaten yet so went to have lunch. I was lucky enough to share a table with Jan Reinhart, Supreme Deputy to Florida, and her husband, Jim. Kim joined us after she was finished setting up the table. After lunch I spent most of the afternoon talking with friends throughout the lobby. At 5:00 I played piano for the Session Worship Service. Supreme Chaplain Robin Henderson was in charge of the service and did a wonderful job. All in attendance told what they were blessed with and thankful for and a lot of emotion was displayed. Following the service I got a change to talk with some of my Queensland friends, including PGG Melanie Strachan, JGG Jennifer Nielsen and her daughter, VSG Elaine Gray, Sonya Gray and Miss Queensland Keira Johnson and her family. I have included a picture of Keira and me. Gee, you would think I have never seen a comb or brush. It doesn't much matter how much time I spend combing my hair. 5 minutes later it does whatever it wants to do. Anyway, Keira is a very nice young lady and a wonderful representative for Queensland. That's about it for now. I will let Miss Kim take over to tell you a bit about her travel and the Missouri Supreme Team rehearsal she attended. Take over Kim: Hello All! The flight in was a little bumpy but overall good. I was on a plane with Momma Donna, Mom Nancy, Mom & Dad Goede, Mom & Dad Carpenter, Brenda Morgan, Caitlyn Washington, Katee Leonberger, Kelsey Moore & Michelle Maevers. After arriving in Virginia Momma Donna and Mom Nancy had rented the cars and took most of the group to their hotel. Mom & Dad Goede and I waited at the airport for what seemed like a while only to find out that Momma Donna & Mom Nancy got a little lost getting to their hotel. We finally made it and then my adventure of just getting to the room. After a short nap, myself along with Mom Joleyne, Mom Wallace and Mom Hall listened to the Missouri Supreme Team practice and in my opinion these girls are ready! They have been fine tuning their parts and will go a great job on Tuesday. Good luck to Carolyn, Erica, Tiffany, Brianna & Katee and thanks to Amy and Michelle, our alternates for representing Missouri. I am on my way to the Ghost Tour of Richmond and am super excited. I know I will be with Sheila & Kate Lardner of Sasketchewan so I am happy that I will know someone on the tour.....ya know, just in case. Tomorrow I judge dance and am anxious to see all of the talented Job's Daughters.
Thanks Kim for that report. As you look at the pictures above, you might have noticed the one about No Weapons, No Jokes. While this is a very serious sign and should be taken as such, it reminds me of a humorous incident that occurred when I was Associate Supreme Guardian. Mom Shirley Bryngelson and I were traveling and she had a suitcase that was absolutely stuffed to the gills. You couldn't get so much as one more piece of paper in this suitcase. Well, we were checking in at the airport, and Mom Shirley gave the attendant her suitcase and the attendant tossed it up on the conveyor belt to take it in the back for loading on the plane. Well it landed on the conveyor belt with a thud. Mom Shirley looked at the suitcase and in a very loud voice said, "Hey, be careful, that thing might explode!" Folks, when the Transportation Security Agency tells us that they take jokes very seriously, they are not kidding. As soon as those words were out of Mom Shirley's lips, the security people and the airline employees sprang into action, removing the suitcase and surrounding Mom Shirley. She realized what she had said and tried to explain that she only meant that the suitcase was overloaded and it might pop open. Well, after some explaining (and her suitcase getting searched) she finally managed to avoid being arrested as a terrorist and we were allowed to continue on our journey. To this day she is very careful about how much she puts in her suitcase and what she says in airports. That about it for tonight folks. I am going to try to hit the sack a bit earlier than I have been. I have to help judge Performing Arts tomorrow, plus work in the Session Sales room. Take care and I will check in with you tomorrow.
Well, I was wrong. here it is after 2:00 a.m. and I am still up. I went downstairs earlier to have dinner, then got to talking with friends and the next thing I knew, BAM! Another late night. Oh well, that's part of the fun of Supreme Session, getting to visit and chat with friends you might only see once a year. While I was chatting, a lot of the Missouri folks took the Richmond Ghost Tour. It consisted of a lot of spooky fun and a lot of walking. I have some pics from the ghost Tour above. You can also see the spookiest ghost of them all, the ghost of the hamburger I had this afternoon that keeps coming back and coming back, lol. You can also see a pic of the crew posing under the Job's Daughter Flag here at the Richmond, Marriott. Did you know that this Supreme Session marks the 75th Anniversary of the Job's Daughters Flag? That's right. Below is an article written for the SNE-Online section of the IOJD.org website.
I hope you enjoyed that bit of Job's Daughters History. Now it's time for some Session Shout-Outs: First, both for and from Mom Sandy Flanery, Missouri Vice Grand Guardian. she writes:
Sounds like you guys had one of my types of Supreme Session trips, lol. Glad you made it safe and sound. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Mom Lynne Stratmann, PGG-MO and her Daughter Christy Stratmann, PHQ #12. They write:
Mom Lynne was my first Bethel Guardian when I became Associate Bethel Guardian of Bethel #12. She was also one of two people who told me the world's biggest lie. The other person was my wife, Mom Toni. When I was first approached to become the ABG, I was concerned that I would not have time to do the job properly. I was working in a band full time and was on the road quite often. They both assured me that the job would only consist of 2 meetings a month. Yeah, right, and the moon is made of green cheese, too. Anyway, I must admit that it was the best lie every told to me and I am glad that I chose to believe it. Finally a Session Shout-Out goes to Ian Milne of Queensland. He writes via Facebook: "Hey there friend - I gather you will be blogging from sessions again this year - missed you in Kansas but will be in US for 2010 Jobie Sessions." Ian is a good friend from Down Under, serves as the Jurisdictional Treasurer of Queensland, and his daughter Erin was Miss Queensland in 2002-2003. He wrote that note as he was sitting in the airport in Singapore waiting for a flight to Brisbane. He has been on a tour that has taken him to the US and Scotland among other places. Thanks for taking the time to write Ian, I really appreciate it. |
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 Dad Ashley and Mom Shirley have a reunion |
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Okay, it's time to get up and at 'em. I am heading out to the Session Sales room, Mom Toni had been long gone to the Board Meeting and Miss Kim is judging Performing Arts today so we are scattered to the 4 winds (maybe that should be the 3 winds, huh?). Just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone before I get going and to send out a couple of quick Session Shout Outs. First to Brian Thompson, PAGG-Queensland. Brian writes:
Thanks Brian. I will do my best to keep the info coming. Have fun in Weipa. My next Session Shout-Out is to Tawnya Lawson Schultz, a Past Honred Queen from Oregon who wrote on her Facebook Page: Decided to read Ashley Underwood's Supreme Diary before heading to bed. It is an annual tradition. For you Jobies out there who could not attend Supreme Session check it out...http://www.missouriiojd.org/SupremeSessionNotes/2009. Thanks Ashley. Thank You Tawnya, I genuinely appreciate the plug for the Diary and I am glad that you have made it an annual tradition. I will do my best to keep you informed about the Session events. Tawnya is also a big Chicago fan, so that is a double plus for her :) Okay, gotta run. Time to get the Session Sales table open. See you later.
Hey guys, back at it here in the room. It has been a fun day. We started out at the Session Sales table. This is a good way to meet a lot of folks at Session as sooner or later just about everybody will make their way to the Session Sales room. The room this year is a bit small so we are all sort of crowded in, but hey, that makes for some great camaraderie and conversation. At 10:00 I went upstairs to help judge the Performing Arts Competition. I was judging Instrumental Music, and my fellow judge was Barb Cooper, the Grand Guardian of Illinois. All of the contestants were really good, including Lilly Flanery of Bethel #33 in North Kansas City who played the clarinet. One time I managed to get out to the staging area for the competition and saw Brianna Hall of Bethel #19 and Erin Howard of Bethel #47 practicing their Hula Dance. They looked really cool.
I got a chance to get by the Supreme Bethel Table to visit a bit with the Supreme Bethel Committee Members. Our own Mom Linda Sinley is on the committee and will be the Supreme Bethel Guardian the year that Mom Toni is Supreme Guardian.
Following my judging stint, I went to lunch with my Supreme Partner from 2003-2004 Mom Shirley Bryngelson. We had a great time reminiscing. We were joined at lunch by Dolly Maxwell, PGG-Wyoming and Don Harris, PASG-Wyoming. The food was great and the company even better. Then I had to do some chores for the Ritual Competition (hey, I'm a versatile guy, what can I say, lol). and finally got back to the Session Sales table about 2:00. We finished out the sales day at 4:00 and then I ran . . . well I walked quickly . . . okay, I ponderously shuffled up to my room to change clothes for the Masonic Meeting. Dad Randy Sinley and I drove over to the Scottish Rite Center in Richmond where we had a wonderful dinner prepared by the Eastern Star. Associate Supreme Guardian Dad Bob Clore gave a short welcome speech and then we went into the Lodge Room for a Master Mason Degree that was performed by the Virginia Masons. They did a fantastic job and are to be commended for their great work.
Okay, I am going to turn is over to Miss Kim who will tell you about what went on at Session while we were at the Masonic Meeting. Take it away Kim: Today I had the wonderful opportunity to judge the dance competition and boy was it tough. I was the only judge for dance and we have some very talented ladies in this order...if you didn't know that already. I saw different routines including tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, hip hop and some Scottish Sword dancing. All equally talented. The three ladies that competed in the showcase from the dance division were Kate L. from Sasketchewan, KC C. from Virginia and McKenna who did the Scottish Sword dancing (sorry, I can't remember the jurisdiction). Great job to all of them! Our very own Brianna was able to show off her amazing piano skills. Missouri was represented extremely well with numerous young ladies receiving awards. I don't have the list with me but hope to get it up soon. Also today Mom Sandy and I were the adult representatives for the First Jobie Congress. This gave all Jobies the opportunity to speak about some suggestions for Job's Daughters including the option of an open meeting where girls do have to dress out, the lowering of majority age, ritual revisions and the addition of Masonic Sponsorship. This gave the ladies a chance to speak their opinions without involvement from the adults. The ladies all brought up valid points and I believe this was a great opportunity for everyone, myself included, to get a new prospective on certain subjects. So far Supreme has been great and I can't wait for the rest of the week! Dad and I are going sight-seeing tomorrow so we wish all the ladies luck on their ritual competitions and special luck to the Missouri Ritual Team. They have been working hard and know they will do wonderful jobs on all their parts. Have a great night everyone and we'll talk to you soon. Thanks Kim. Now it's time for a couple more Supreme Session Shout-Outs. The first one goes to Laurie Lenhardt, PHQ #43. She writes about the Visitation for Grandma Mary.
Thanks Laurie. I know that Grandma Mary was watching from above and although we were here shedding a tear, she was smiling. Another Session Shout-Out goes to someone I will only identify as Jenny Jobie. Jenny Jobie is the Secret Jobie (Secret Pal) of Katie Karmeier from Bethel #44. Jenny wants Katie to know that, "she is thinking of her and wishing her the best of luck in her competitions and hopes she has a great time at Supreme." Thanks Jenny. I will pass along the message. Well folks, I think I am actually going to turn in early . . . well, early by Supreme Session standards. It is about 1:40 a.m. Tomorrow Miss Kim and I will be going to Mount Vernon, the home of the United States first President, George Washington. Other activities tomorrow include a special event in the afternoon for Jobies who are members of Bethels Under Supreme and the HIKE Dance in the evening. I will check back in tomorrow night with another report. Everybody take care and we will be talking to you later. |
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 Ken Bush, the dad of Jr. Miss MO Amy Bush, makes the session scene |
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Hey everyone, I hope you are all doing well. It was a great day at Supreme Session today. I checked in at the Session Sales table to make sure everything got off on the right foot, and our workers had everything well in hand. Meanwhile Miss Kim was with the Missouri Girls getting ready for the Ritual Competition. Our Messenger Team was primed, ready and did a wonderful job. Congratulations to them and to all the contestants. You all worked hard and have every reason to be proud of yourselves. I know that we are all proud of you.
After that, Miss Kim and I headed north to Mt. Vernon, which was the estate of our first President, George Washington. It was really neat taking a step back in time and visiting the very place where George Washington lived and worked. For all of his accomplishments (Soldier, Congressional Representative, General, President of the Constitutional Convention, President of the United States) Washington was most proud of being a farmer and the most at ease at Mt. Vernon. In one of Washington's letters he wrote, "I had rather be at Mount Vernon with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the seat of government by the officers of state and the representatives of every power in Europe." He was an outstanding man.
After we returned from Mt. Vernon, we went to the Long Range Planning meeting which was run by Amanda Leblanc, VGG-Minnesota, MIJD 1998-1999. She did a wonderful job handling all of the various threads of the meeting and those in attendance did a great job with their questions, suggestions and attention. I think the future of Job's Daughters is in great hands with all of the dedicated people who truly love the Order. We have a number of obstacles to overcome as we move further into the 21st Century, but I am optimistic as long as we have wonderful people like those in that meeting.
Following the Long Range Planning Meeting we moseyed on down to the HIKE Dance. Wow! What an outstanding event. I think that everybody had a great time. We had a special appearance by "The King" who sang all of Elvis Presley's greatest hits. I was singing along with the King, although I don't know if those sitting close to me appreciated it all that much. The DJ kept things hopping with all the latest hits and the best golden oldies. The girls were having so much full dancing the night away. Even Dad Butch was on the dance floor shaking a leg doing the latest dances . . . Well, I think that's what he was doing. Either that or his leg was asleep and he was trying to wake it up. Either way he was having a fantastic time. By the end of the night everybody was tired but happy as they all headed back to their rooms. I have some more Supreme Session Shout-Outs to send. First to Wally Neibur, a PABG from California. He commented on my remarks about the worlds biggest lie (Click Here to see those remarks). He said, "Just two meetings a month, lol." Obviously Wally has fallen victim to that lie as well. Thanks Wally, I am glad I am not the only guy who fell for it. A Session Shout-Out goes to Robin Henderson, Supreme Chaplain and member of the Board of Trustees, who commented on my trip to Mt. Vernon. She wrote on my Facebook page, "Lucky guy....I'm visiting the inside of a hotel boardroom!" Hey, I know what it is like. While in the Supreme Line I was lucky enough to travel to some fantastic places, but unfortunately during Session you spend the vast majority of your time in meeting rooms. Between the Board Meeting, the Line Officers Meeting, the Business Sessions of the SGC, you get very little time to get out and about. You wanna know something, though, I wouldn't change a thing. I had a great time going though the Supreme Line, and it was my honor to participate in those meetings. Have fun in the meeting Robin, because I know that you really are, lol. A Session Shout-Out goes to Julie Emberson, PGBHQ-Illinois. Julie writes the following:
Thanks Julie. Kim says hi to you as well. Now you may notice that Julie called me Uncle Ashley. I am not really her Uncle, but that is how they refer to the Job's Daughter adult co-workers in llinois, just as in Missouri they use Mom and Dad. This is another great thing about traveling around to all of the different Jurisdictions during Supreme Session. You get to see and hear the different customs from around the world. That is pretty cool. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Sarah Broadaway, PGBHQ-Wyoming. Sarah writes:
Sarah is a wonderful young lady whom I remember very well. She is one of a set of triplets, and all 3 were very active in Job's Daughters, as were her parents. Actually the family lived in Missouri before moving to Wyoming, so we have a bit of a claim on them as well. Thanks for the note Sarah. I appreciate it. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Heather Jones, PGG-Queensland, and one of Mom Shirley and my Supreme Officers. Heather writes on my Facebook Page, "I loved the excursion to Mt Vernon. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Virginia; also the Masonic Memorial Temple. Have a great day there." Thanks Heather, I sure did have a great day. You know the other evening at the Masonic Dinner, something occurred that reminded me so much of Heather. We had Prime Rib at the dinner and one of the customs in the US is to have horseradish as one of the condiments for Prime Rib. Well, that is completely alien to our Australian friends. One of my dinner companions the other evening was Allan Dimmick, PAGG-QLD. We got him to try some horseradish on his steak, and while he handled it well, you could tell it wasn't exactly his cup of tea. Well that took me back to the time Heather, Mom Shirley and I were at a Wyoming Past Grand's dinner during their Grand Session in 2004. They had steak for dinner and Heather slathered what she thought was mayonnaise on her steak. Well, the mayo was actually horseradish sauce. When she bit into the steak, she just about passed out. We were fanning her, trying to get her to drink some water and just generally hoping she didn't make a quick exit from the face of the earth. After a while she managed to get back to normal, scraped the horseradish sauce off her steak, and finished her meal in relative peace. Thank goodness everything turned out okay. BTW Heather, I have a mess of horseradish for you the next time you cross the pond. Hmmm, what was that loud thud I just heard. Oh well, on with the show. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Margaret Thompson, BG #23 in Northern Brisbane, Queensland and Brian Thompson's other half and supporter who writes about my trip to Mt. Vernon, "Very jealous......that area is part of the states where we want to go back too........have a fabulous time for all the rest of us!!!!!" Thanks Margaret, I did my best. Margaret is a wonderful lady, and a fellow sufferer of acrophobia - fear of heights. We both know how to do the Spiderman crawl along a wall when we are on a high balcony, lol. Well, that's just about it, but I have to tell a quick story about Missouri's AGG, Dad Butch Carpenter. Some of the Missouri crew went to Washington DC to see the sight. They decided to go to the National Mall, an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C. covering the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument roughly in the center. Most people know what you are talking about when you refer to the National Mall . . . emphasis on the "most people." When the group got to the mall and were walking along, suddenly Dad Butch said, "Hey I thought you said we were going to the National Mall. Where are all the stores?" Well, since then Dad Butch has been brought up to speed about the National Mall, but has been taking a great deal of good natured ribbing about his comment. That's okay, he is a great sport and is showing that he can take it as well as he can give it. Okay, it's another very late night, almost 3:30 a.m. I really need to hit the sack so I will say good night and we will see you in a few hours. Take care all. |
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 Some of the memorabilia from the presentation |
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Hey there everybody. It has been a really long day and I am pretty tired so I hope you will excuse me if I just give a brief wrap-up of the day and then expand on it tomorrow. I started out today in the Session Sales room. We got it up and running and then I went to the SGC Business Session. The morning session consisted mainly of introductions. The 2008-2009 Grand Guardians and Associate Grand Guardians were introduced which included our own Mom Nancy and Dad Craig. Then the 2009-2010 Grand Guardians and Associate Grand Guardians were introduced which included our own Mom Joleyne and Dad Butch. The other Grand Officers were then introduced which included our own Vice Grand Guardian Sandy Flanery, Vice Associate Grand Guardian Stan Johnson, Grand Guide Kim Underwood and Grand Secretary Ginny Goede. I gotta tell you folks, it's as pretty special feeling when you see your own daughter introduced at Supreme Session as one of your Jurisdiction's Grand Officers. Then Bethel Guardians and Associate Bethel Guardians were introduced which included Kim Stratmann. After the morning Business Session, I attended the Men of Job Luncheon. It was held at the Virginia Masonic Home, which is a beautiful facility here in Richmond. The luncheon included a tour of the grounds, appetizers, the main luncheon and a special presentation of Civil War Memorabilia. It was a really fun luncheon.
While the men were at the Men of Job Luncheon, many of the girls were at the Royalty Luncheon. I will be letting Miss Kim tell you about that Luncheon. After that it was back to the SGC Business Session. We got right to work on several amendments which had been submitted. Amendments that passed so far include numbers 5, 10, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 29, 30, 31, 32, 51, 52, 80, 82, 85, 86. Amendments that have failed to date include numbers 35 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 73, 76 and 78. To find out precisely what each of those amendments referred to, please Click Here. We get back to work on more amendments tomorrow.
After the Business Session, it was up to the room for a quick change into our formal wear, and then back downstairs to the Formal Banquet. There was no assigned seating so the Missouri group was pretty well spread out around the banquet hall. The salad we had was a bit unusual. It consisted of a half head of lettuce and a couple of tomato slices. It was good, but very unusual. Of course that is one of the joys of attending Supreme Session at various places around the country. Dinner itself was also very good and as usual, the company even better.
Then we all hit the bricks and crossed the street to the Convention Center for the Formal Opening. Everything went very well, and the opening didn't last very long (at least by Formal Opening standards, lol). Several Missouri Girls took part in the various ceremonies, including Jennifer Hallahan, Ashley Ray, Becca Hairer, Carolyn Kirchhoff, Erin Howard, Katee Leonberger, Michelle Maevers, Lilly Flanery, Katie Karmeier, Caitlyn Washington and Mary Johnson Several HIKE Awards were announced during the Opening, including Volunteer Awards for Mom Nancy Knarr and Dad Craig Stratmann, and $1000 awards for Brooklyn Childs, Daniella Brand, Caitlyn Washington, Caitlin Burress and Jamie Marvin. It was also announced that Brooklyn and Daniella brought in over $2000.00 each. Way to go girls!
We were finished around 10:00. Then the Missouri Crew headed to the Holiday Inn Express for a Good Luck party for our Miss Missouri Tiffany Hudson. We had a large group of girls and adults plus we were joined by several Kansas girls and adults. We had a great time wishing Tiffany good luck in the Miss International Pageant on Thursday Evening. She received several wonderful gifts, and lots and lots of hugs from the girls. Go Tiffany! I know that you will do a great job and will make Missouri proud. Actually, you have already made us proud so now we will be even more proud. Okay, it's time for some Supreme Session Shout-Outs, and I have a bunch of them: The first goes to Carmen Jenkinson, PHQ-Queensland and MIJD 2000-2001. Carmen writes:
Thanks for the note Carmen. Carmen is a lovely young lady and did a wonderful job as Miss International. Congratulations on the new baby. You dad was proudly showing me pictures of your first and wow, was he a proud grandpa. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Carmen's mom, Lesley Wilson, PGG-Queensland. She writes:
Thanks Lesley. You know, I do find time to enjoy Session. There is so much going on all the time that even with my mobility issues I still find lots of interesting things to do. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Mary Hansen, PGG-Wyoming. She writes:
Thanks Mary. Sorry you guys couldn't be here for Session but I am glad you can follow along on the website. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Cindy Miller Jackson, PHQ-Illinois, who writes on Facebook: "Tell anyone that I may know thru Gandma DeeDee that I said hello" I sure will Cindy. Gandma DeeDee was Delores Johnson, PSG-Illinois. Delores was a great lady who along with Marlene Frakes, was one of the first to suggest I might want to take a stab at Supreme Line. She passed away a few years ago, but I was proud that she got to see me Installed as Associate Supreme Guardian. Everyone who knew her misses her. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Jocelyn Biles of Queensland who writes:
Glad you got caught up Jocelyn. Now I have to get caught up with my writing, lol. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Christy Blaisdell, PHQ and Miss Pennsylvania Job's Daughter 2006-2007 who writes:
Thanks Christy. I will deliver your message and do my best to help keep the Jobie spirit alive. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Shannon Snell, PHQ #7, Arizona and Past Supreme Bethel Honored Queen who writes:
Thanks Shannon. I remember when Shannon came to Missouri. She visited Bethel #12 and that night it was cold and snowy. Being from sunny Arizona, Shannon was fascinated with the snow. I think she really enjoyed that visit for both the Jobie friendship and the big difference in weather from her home state. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Caryn Adair of Illinois, who writes on Facebook: "Thanks for the great Supreme Session updates! I love to read them when I can't attend." Thanks Caryn. I love to help people get a feel for Supreme Session when they can't attend. Well, that's about it for tonight. It is already 3:00 a.m. and it's time to hit the sack. See you later. |
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 . . . Actually it looks like they are already napping |
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Hey all. It's another busy day here at Supreme Session. The day started bright and early with the Supreme Bethel Meeting. SBHQ Jenna did a wonderful job presiding and the new officer selection went off without a hitch. The new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen will be Arielle Gordon from British Columbia. Missouri has quite a few Supreme Bethel Reps. They are: Supreme Bethel Representative to California 5 & 6:
`Michelle Maevers, Bethel #60 In addition the Supreme Bethel Representative to Missouri is a young lady named Kayla from Alberta. Congratulations to all of the Supreme Bethel Officers and Representatives as they start their Supreme Year. After the meeting the Royalty Luncheon was held. As you can see from the pictures above just about everyone was feeling the effects of long days and short nights. Still, they had a great luncheon and everybody enjoyed themselves . . . at least they did when they were awake.
The Arts & Crafts Awards were presented and the Missouri girls really cleaned up. I hope to have a complete list later, but as you can see, some of them look like they are dressed in ribbons.
We had our Missouri-Idaho Dinner this evening. It was very well attended and I think that everyone had a great time. It was great to see the girls and adults from these two wonderful jurisdictions mingle and really get to know each other. The Grand Guardian of Idaho is really charged up about our Supreme Journey and her enthusiasm is infectious. Our friends in Idaho will keep on rocking and we will keep on rolling and the next thing you know we will be at Supreme Session 2011 in St. Louis. Wow, how could you not be excited?
After that it was time for the Miss International Job's Daughter Pageant. The room was beautifully decorated, and Retiring MIJD Megan shared the MC duties with MWB James D. Cole, 33 Degree Treasurer General for the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction. They both did a wonderful job. Tiffany was contestant number one and really wowed the crowd with a spectacular entrance and Missouri wowed everyone with their enthusiastic cheering for her. She did a great job during her self-introduction as well as answering the question posed to her by MWB Cole. As the pageant continued each jurisdiction yelled and screamed for their candidate, but I think Missouri was the loudest. I might be just a bit biased, but other people said that as well. When the nine semi-finalists were announced we were all a bit disappointed that Tiffany was not among them but hey, that was their mistake. We know what a great young Lady Tiffany is. She did a wonderful job and made everyone in Missouri proud. Keira Johnson of Queensland won the Congeniality Award. Keira is a very nice young lady and this award was well deserved. The Written Test winner was Kelsey Richert of Oregon and the Ritual Recitation Winner was Caitlin Gerweck of Colorado. Then retiring MIJD made her final remarks as MIJD. She spoke beautifully, thus continuing the example she has set all year long. Her parents presented her with her Past MIJD Pin, and then it was time to announce the runners-up and the new MIJD. The Third Runner-Up was Ashley Ames of Idaho. All the Missouri and Idaho folks were really happy for her. The Second Runner-Up was Shannon Warchol of Minnesota. The First Runner-Up was Annamarie Carlson of Wisconsin. Then came the time everybody was waiting for. The new Miss International is Ana Kryzhanivska of Alberta, Canada. She generally goes by Ana K. This is the second year in a row for an Alberta girl to become MIJD. There were cameras flashing and people cheering as Ana was crowned by Megan. She then took her first walk as MIJD, and was soon joined by VSG Elaine, VASG Dave and SBHQ Select Arielle, thus giving everybody their first glimpse of the soon to be new Supreme Team. Congratulations to all of the contestants as well as Ana K, the new Miss International Job's Daughter. After the pageant I came back to the room to update the diary while Kim went with GBHQ Jen and her family for a late night meal at Dennys. While there they saw a big tour bus roll in. It turns out to be the bus for The Wailers, who were Bob Marley's band. They are currently touring and also stopped for a late night bite to eat. Jen is a big Bob Marley fan so this was a special treat for her. They all posed for a picture together, and you can see it above. As you can see it was a long day, but a very fun and productive one. Now it's time for some more Supreme Session Shout-Outs: My first Session Shout-Out goes to Bronwyn Wood of Queensland who writes on Facebook, "Jealous! Wish I could be over at the States at the Formal Banquet." Wish you were here as well Bronwyn. We has a wonderful meal, and of course spent the evening eating, laughing and sharing quality time with our friends. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Susan Mentel, PSG-Illinois. Mom Susie writes:
Thanks Susie. We miss you a lot as well. It's not the same without you here. Hopefully you will be able to come back next year and then of course in St. Louis in 2011 The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Kristen Pierson, PGBHQ-Missouri. Kristen writes:
Thanks Kristen. Since I am actually writing this on Friday (shhhh, don't tell a soul, lol) I can tell you that the amendment did pass. I will be giving a list of the disposition of all the various amendments during Friday's update. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Jody Becker, PGG-Kansas. Jody writes via Facebook, "Thanks for all of the great updates in your diary. I really wish I was there. I definitely won't be missing the next two!!!! Keep it up!" Jody is a very good friend and was a wonderful Grand Guardian. Wish you were here but glad you will be making the next two. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Crystal Burress, Guardian Secretary of Bethel #60 in Missouri and the mom of Missouri's Grand Bethel Senior Princess. Crystal writes via Facebook, "I am enjoying your Supreme Diaries very much, Ashley! Give everyone there a big hello from Caitlin and myself. We're really proud of the Missouri girls. Good luck to Tiffany tonight as well!" Thanks Crystal. As you can read above Tiffany did a wonderful job and all the Missouri Girls are really making the Jobie World stand up and take notice. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Nancy Garibay of Nevada, the mom of PSBHQ Meghan Garibay. Nancy writes via Facebook, "So, I hear the new SBHQ is from BC. What Bethel does she belong to? I hope there are pictures to share with us "sad ones" that could not be there!" Thanks Nancy. I have some pics that I will be posting a bit later. You can get your first look at the new SBHQ in one of the pictures from the MIJD Pageant above. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Beverlee Jackson, PHQ #47-Missouri. Bev writes via Facebook, "I remember going to Supreme Session!!! I have a lot of great memories of our Jobie trips! Hope you are having a wonderful time!" Thanks Bev. Yes, we are having a most wonderful time. Hope you are doing well. Bev was a fantastic Job's Daughter and a wonderful person. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Mom Pam Buffalow, BG #48-Missouri. Mom Pam writes:
Thanks Mom Pam. This is definitely an area rich in history. As far as Amendment #33, which was the one to change our membership requirement to include Masonic Sponsorship as opposed to a blood relationship, it failed. There was spirited debate on both sides of the issue. Regardless of how people feel about the issue, I would hope they would respect other's feelings. We all want what is best for the order. Sometimes we may have differing opinions on what that might be, but we still love Job's Daughters. Our final Session Shout-Out for the evening goes to Joy Marvin, Promoter of Youth Activities Bethel #29-Missouri. Joy writes:
Thanks Joy. I am glad you are enjoying the diary. Jamie is Joy's daughter, very active in Bethel #29 and a hard worker for HIKE. Congratulations Jamie, as well as all the HIKE award winners. Okay, that's it for now. Back later. |
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 . . . The Past Grand's Luncheon |
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Hello again. Well, after a very short night, we were up bright and early to head down to the SGC Business Meeting. We got right to work on amendments. When 9:00 a.m. rolled around it was time for the SGC Elections. The top six in the line advanced without opposition. The new kids on the block so to speak are Rose Marie Short of California and Ron Johnson of Michigan. Rose Marie is a delightful lady who will do a great job on her trip up the line. Ron is a very good friend and completely committed to the Order. His wife Jeannie and I were on the Supreme Bethel Committee from 1996-1999 and I got to know Ron very well during that time. He will also do a wonderful job and I think that he and Rose Marie will make a great team. In the balloting for Member of the Board of Trustees, Shelly Cole of Utah was elected. Shelly has served on the Board before, and has been the YPP Coordinator this past year. She will also do a great job. The following is a full list of all those who were elected:
After the elections we got back to work on the amendments which took us up to lunch.
I attended the Past Grands' Luncheon and had a marvelous time. I was at a table with Randy Sinley, Linda Sinley, Donna Goede, Butch Carpenter, Nancy Knarr, Craig Stratmann, Richard Kaeser and Nelda Kaeser. We had some delicious chicken and of course the half head of lettuce salad. Randy and I talked football a big part of the time. I think we are both more than ready for the football season to get underway.
Following lunch we came back to the meeting room and watched presentations regarding the 2010 and 2012 Supreme Sessions. In 2010 we will be in Colorado Springs, Colorado and in 2012 we will be in Baltimore, Maryland. They both look to be great sessions. Of course in 2011 we will be in beautiful downtown St. Louis. Then it was back to work on more amendments. There was spirited debate on several of the items. The following is a full list of the disposition of the amendments: Amendments that passed included numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51, 52, 80, 82, 83, 85, 86. Amendments that failed included numbers 3, 15, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 73, 76 and 78. Amendments that were withdrawn were 13, 14, 20, 26, 27, 28, 54, 55, 56, 58, 61, 64, 65, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 84 and 87. Amendment #16 was not considered by vote of the body. As mentioned earlier in the Diary, To find out precisely what each of those amendments referred to, please Click Here.
As this was the last Business Meeting of Supreme Session, there were a few tears and a few speeches at the end. Mom Toni presented Supreme Guardian Marilyn and Associate Supreme Guardian Bob with special lunch boxes full of memories. Marilyn's was a Cinderella Lunch Box, as one of her mascots was Cinderella, and Bob's was a John Deere Lunch Box as a tractor was his emblem. The memories were notes from all of their officers and committee people. Marilyn and Bob were very touched and thanks Mom Toni for the gifts. Then Marilyn brought the gavel down for the final time and the Officers retired to a standing ovation. After the Business Meeting, we attended a meeting of the various Session Arrangements Committees. It was very interesting, and the Wyoming-Virginia team gave us a run-down of how the Session went from a behind the scenes aspect.
Then for me it was off to the Past Supremes' Dinner. Due to the SAC meeting I was late, but they had a plate ready for me and wow, was it delicious. It was a fun time sharing remembrances with other Past Supremes. As I often say, the food was great and the company even better.
After the dinner it was over to the Convention Center for the Supreme Bethel Installation. A special congratulations to Michelle, Mary, Sarah and Katee from Missouri, who were all installed as Supreme Bethel Representatives. Arielle Gordon from British Columbia was installed as the new Supreme Bethel Honored. Now two members of the new Supreme Team are in place and tomorrow evening the SGC Installation will complete the group.
After the Installation there was a dance. I did not attend, but Miss Kim did so we have some pictures from it.. I came back the room as my knees and back were really hurting. For those who don't know, I have severe arthritis in my knees and lower back, and it can be difficult to get around at times, especially when I have been doing a bit of walking. Oh well, you can't have everything, lol. Some of the girls went for ice cream, and that is the picture you see above. Well, that's about it for now. It is almost . . . let's all say it together . . . 3:00 a.m. Man, that seems to be the karmic time for me to try to get to bed each night, er I mean morning. I will be posting some pictures from the day's activities tomorrow. Until we get together again, good night. |
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 Mom Toni with Mom Shirley Bryngelson and special friends from Brazil |
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Hey everybody. Well, it looks like everyone took off this morning and let me sleep in a bit. I am going to send a couple of Session Shout-Outs before I head out the door: The first Session Shout-Out goes to Mom Kathy Rodemacher, PBG #1-Missouri. Kathy writes via Facebook, "Looks like everybody is having fun. I have been keeping up with your diaries and looking at the pictures I see here on facebook. I saw all the wins for performing arts - waiting for the arts & crafts and ritual awards to be posted. I know everybody did a great job. Tell everyone hi for me." Thanks Kathy. We will be posting them as soon as we can. As you can tell from reading sometimes at Session everybody is going in 10 different ways at once so sometimes it's tough to catch up with ourselves. It might be a bit but we will get them posted :) The next Session Shout-Out goes to Teirnee Childers, PMIJD. Teirnee writes via Facebook, "I hope you're having a wonderful time! Miss you all!" Thanks Teirnee. We are definitely having a wonderful time and we miss you as well. Wish you were here. Another Session Shout-Out goes to Margaret Thompson of Queensland who writes via Facebook, "Thanks for the results of the amendments..I spent last night looking at what had passed and what didn't." Thanks Margaret. We sure had a boat load of amendments to wade through but our Supreme Guardian Marilyn did a wonderful job of keeping things on track and finished up so we didn't have to have a Saturday Business Meeting. For those who don't know, a Saturday Business Meeting is always an option at Supreme Session. If you don't get finished by Friday afternoon, then you spill over to Saturday. This is one of the reasons I always encourage folks who are coming up the line at the Grand Council level to go to at least one Supreme Session before you are either Grand Guardian or Associate Grand Guardian and sit in on the Business Meetings. Supreme Session is NOT just a large Grand Session. It is a whole 'nother animal. If you are prepared for the process from having attended in the past, then the 3 or 4 days of Business Meetings will not come as quite a shock to your system, lol. Okay, it's a little after 10:00 a.m. so I guess I had better get up and moving. Talk to y'all later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This was a little slower paced day. I spent a good part of the morning talking with Amanda Leblanc, VGG-MN. We talked about the Long-Range Planning Group, as well as reminiscing about the "old days." I am looking forward to seeing Amanda become Grand Guardian. I think that she will do a wonderful job, both as Grand Guardian and on Long-Range planning. After that I had a bit of lunch and then it was time for the SGC Installation Rehearsal. It was cool seeing all the soon to be Supreme Officers and their escorts as they worked out the ceremony. It was a very relaxed rehearsal and everyone had a good time. While I was there I got my computer hooked up to play a couple of songs during the Installation and I will be playing the piano. Then it was up to the room to relax a bit before we had to get dressed for the Installation. Mom Toni, Miss Kim and I talked about the past week and we all agreed it has been a great Supreme Session. Before long it was time to dress and head downstairs for pictures.
I got to the Installation Room a bit early to warm up and make sure that my computer was working through the sound system. Pretty soon, however, people started coming in and then the photographer was calling for the Installing Officers to come get their picture taken. Following that I started snapping pictures as the Supreme Officers and their Escorts posed for pictures. Then I went to the piano and started playing as the Installation got underway . . . -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey guys, I am sitting in the SGC Installation as Installing Musician. I have my computer here to play some special songs for the new Supreme Guardian, Elaine Gray, and I have Internet access so I thought I would pop in for a bit and say hello. The officers just received their pins. I guess I'd better tend to business so I will say so long until later this evening. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That was pretty cool updating the diary just a bit as the Installation was going on. I picked a time when I didn't have to play anything, but I still did it only briefly so I didn't lose track of where I was in the Installation. The ceremony went very well and didn't last too long at all. We started promptly at 7:30 and finished around 9:30. When Mom Toni was Installed I started playing My Girl, and she teared up a bit. Later she told me that she was trying to be very solemn and dignified, but when I started playing the song she just lost it. New Supreme Guardian Elaine and new Associate Supreme Guardian Dave both made excellent remarks and everyone is so excited about the upcoming year. Before you knew it, the Installation had come to an end and everyone was flocking around the new Officers talking, smiling and taking pictures.
We then headed down to a reception for the new Officers and had lots of fun visiting with friends and eating some light refreshments. Eventually the evening wore down and Mom Toni and I came up to the room and ordered a Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Valentino's Pizzeria. It was really good, and might be my new favorite pizza . . . at least for now, anyway, lol. By the way, I have to mention this. I was talking with Dad Butch Carpenter, AGG-Missouri. He had been at the beach with some of the Missouri folks. He told me that he had been trying to catch a seagull but unfortunately was unsuccessful. I could just imagine Dad Butch out there jumping up and down madly trying to catch this poor seagull who must have thought, "Who is this crazy human?" I asked what was he going to do with it if he caught it, but he hadn't thought that far ahead. I figure that he was going to try to rehabilitate it and train it to fill in for the dove on occasion. Who knows, but that's our Butch and that's why Missouri loves him, lol.
As you can see by the group of pictures above, Missouri is not the only bunch of crazy folks who like to redecorate rooms. The Balloon Fairies did a wonderful job. Okay folks, we are in the process of packing, plus I have been falling asleep at the computer and Mom Toni is telling me to go to bed, so I'd better close up shop. Not sure if I will be able to update any more before I get back to St. Louis, but then I will post a wrap up as well as some more pictures. Bye for now. |
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 Packing |
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Hey everyone, Sunday was getaway day and we were up bright and early to finish packing. We had mostly packed last night, but still had some odds and ends to get to today. Once we were finished we headed downstairs and got checked out of the hotel. We said some goodbyes to good friends who were themselves getting ready to leave. Then we finished packing the car and headed to the highway.
Our first stop was the Richmond International Airport to drop Miss Kim off. She was flying home while we were driving. Chances are she was in St. Louis before we were vary far away from Richmond. We said our goodbyes and then it was back on the highway.
For a while it looked like we might be heading to Florida where my daughter Katie and her husband Curtis are vacationing, but when we checked the mileage, it was nearly a 15 hour drive to Destin, Florida where they were staying. So we decided against that since we would only be down there for an extra day, which we probably would have spent most of sleeping. Instead we did the 15 hour drive back to St. Louis. We drove along I-64, which is part of the Purple Heart Highway system. According to their website (www.purpleheart.org), "The purpose of the Purple Heart Trail is to create a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges, and other monuments that give tribute to the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal. The Purple Heart Trail accomplishes this honorary goal by creating a visual reminder to those who use the road system that others have paid a high price for their freedom to travel and live in a free society. Signs placed at various locations annotate those roads and highways where legislation has been passed to designate parts of the national road system as The Purple Heart Trail." At first we were going to stop in Charleston, West Virginia and stay the night, then it was Huntington, West Virginia, then it was Lexington, Kentucky, then it was Frankfort, Kentucky, then it was Louisville, Kentucky . . . Well, you get the picture. We just kept driving and finally we got so close to St. Louis that it would have been silly to spend the night, so we drove on in. Okay, time for some final Supreme Session Shout Outs. First to Ian Nelson, PAGG-Queensland. Ian writes:
So that's it. I have been on Queensland time. Hmmm, but if that were the case, why was I so sleepy at 5:00 p.m. The mystery continues, lol. Thanks for the note Ian. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Debbie Bertolino of California. Debbie writes
Thank you Debbie. Glad I could be of help.Lenhardt The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Laurie Lenhardt, PHQ #43 of Missouri. Laurie writes
Thank you Laurie. Sarah is Laurie's daughter, and serves on Missouri's Grand Bethel Advisory Board. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Brian Thompson, of Queensland who writes via Facebook, "Thanks for the ongoing updates in the diary. Doing one during the SGC install was a new move!!!!!!" Thanks Brian. I kinda got a kick out of updating while I was playing piano and taking pictures as well. Not that I was doing any of them particularly well, but it's sort of like a dog riding a bicycle, it's not that he does it well, but that he does it at all, lol. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Ruth Turpin, PBG#29-Missouri, who writes via Facebook, "I am enjoying reading your supreme news. Sounds like you are havng a great time. Take care and be careful coming home." Ruth is a good friend and has been active in Job's Daughters for many years. Thanks Ruth. We were careful while we were driving but man, it sure is a long trip. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Rick Kaeser, Council Helper Bethel #36-Missouri, who writes via Facebook, "Fun one to try to spell, eh, Ashley?" This was in regards to the new MIJD's last name. There is a reason she goes by Ana K. Probably because she is so respectful of others and knows that her name is not a common everyday name. I think it is a beautiful name. I wish I did a better job of pronouncing it. The next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Sandy Flanery, VGG-Missouri, who also sends some shout-outs of her own. Sandy writes:
Thank you Sandy. Glad you guys made it home safely. I'm glad you didn't get caught in the Cardinals traffic. That can be a bear. You are also rlight about the Missouri Girls. They did a tremendous job at Session and we are all so proud of all of them. Another Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Nancy Garibay of Nevada, the mom of PSBHQ Meghan Garibay. Nancy writes via Facebook, "Ashley, Meghan and I wanted so badly to be there, but it wasn't going to happen this year. It has been a crazy summer! We have already made plans to be at Supreme next year, and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much for the updates, as they have helped ease the disappointment of not being there with so many people that we love and miss. Have a safe trip home, and give our love to all. Thanks again!" Thanks Nancy. I remember when I did the diary during Supreme Session in 2002. It was in Australia and due to illness, I was unable to attend. I was able to do the diary thanks to people sending me e-mails and calls with updates so I felt like I was there. That is what I try to do for others who cannot be at Session. Hope to see you next year in Colorado Springs. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Colleen Vezeau, Council Helper, Bethel #43-Missouri. Colleen writes:
Thank you Colleen. Colleen is the wife of Missouri PAGG Papa John Vezeau, and is a very hard worker for Job's Daughters. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Lindsey Lorteau, PHQ of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lindsey writes via Facebook, "I just found your diaries from Supreme and I actually have a vague recollection hearing in the past that you did that. How wonderful to see what happened at Session, including the Business, in a year when I wasn't able to go! Thanks so much for keeping the world updated!" Thanks Lindsey. Actually my own recollection about just about everything these days is vague, lol. Hope all is well in Manitoba. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Judy Gordon, BG #55-Illinois. Judy writes via Facebook, "I couldn't wait until Supreme started to read your diary. Good Diary. You always make me laugh.... Thanks so much." Thanks Judy. Glad you are enjoying the diary. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Ginny Goede, Grand Secretary-Missouri. Ginny writes:
Ginny and Lon were at Supreme Session but had to leave on Wednesday to attend another convention. Looks like Ginny pulled a few strings and will be able to attend all of next year's session. Way to go Ginny. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to David Kirk, PAGG-Queensland. David writes:
Thanks David. David is a very good friend, and an enthusiastic support of Job's Daughters. When I was in Queensland for our Official Visit in 2003, David and I went to a Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football game. We had a great time and I hope to get back there some day. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Kris Aanderud, Grand Guardian-Oregon. Kris writes via Facebook, "Hi Ashley - Great to get to see you and know you better this past week. Thanks for continuing to share your gifts with all of us. Kris Aanderud, GG-Oregon" Thanks Kris. It was great getting to know you better as well. Whatever small gifts I may share with the world of Job's Daughters doesn't come near to repaying what Job's Daughters has given to me. Another Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Crystal Burress, Guardian Secretary of Bethel #60 in Missouri and the mom of Missouri's Grand Bethel Senior Princess. Crystal writes via Facebook "Ashley, thanks for keeping us up to date all week with the Supreme Diaries. I enjoy it every year. I am really looking forward to Supreme 2010!! The first Supreme Session for both Caitlin and myself and we will get to see Toni installed as Supreme Guardian! It's going to be awesome! Thanks again!" Thanks Crystal. You guys will have a blast at Supreme Session. Glad that I have whetted your appetite. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Wendy Grove Faust, PSBHQ-Pennsylvania. Wendy writes:
Thanks Wendy. Glad you are enjoying the diary. Chuck Terrill is doing great and is still very active with the HIKE Board. He loves doing that and it keeps him young. I have trouble keeping up with him. Our next Supreme Session Shout-Out goes to Kerrie Ferlet, PBG #48-Missouri. Kerrie writes via Facebook, "Glad to hear you all made it home safe! Looks like you had a great time! Tell Toni love the red dress this year and I look forward to spending time together! Can't wait to see ya all...real soon I hope!" Thanks Kerrie. I like the dress as well and Toni does too. Hope to see you soon. |
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 Bringing in the luggage |
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It was a long ride home but we made it safely. It was just about all we could do to drag ourselves in the house. Miss Kim was there and helped bring the luggage in. Our dog, Molly, was especially happy to see us after the long trip.
As I am sitting here finishing up the Supreme Session Diary for this year, I have just received news that Bill Champlin has left my favorite musical group, Chicago. This is sad news for me. Bill is a wonderful keyboard player, guitar player and singer. He brought an extra dimension to Chicago and was one of the major factors in the band's 1980's run of hits. Bill will be replaced by Lou Pardini, who is himself an excellent keyboardist and vocalist. I won't go into all the reasons for the departure as that does not belong here, but in some ways there is a parallel to the world of Job's Daughters. Just as turnover is commonplace in the music world, turnover is also a constant in Job's Daughters. By the very nature of being a youth organization, we are only able to keep our members for a certain length of time. Therefore it is a constant struggle to get new members to replace those who are moving on. There is a saying about membership, Get Two. One to replace yourself and one to help the Order grow. I hope that our Daughters can do that, and more. To help them, we must do all we can to support them in their work. We must re-double our efforts in order to help Job's Daughters grow and prosper in the future. We must also not be so tied to the past that we fossilize and are unable to make the necessary moves for future growth. Nobody loves the past more than me. I am a history buff by inclination and by training. As I talked about earlier in this diary, I get a kick out of looking at a pile of rubble and imagining what it must have been like centuries ago, but loving the past doesn't preclude preparing for the future either. We as an organization must become more nimble and adaptable. I am not talking about abandoning our time tested virtues, but rather incorporating them into a new dynamic that will enable Job's Daughters to continue to be a force to reckoned with when it comes to providing a safe haven for our Daughters and a training ground for their future success. A new way of singing an old song, which was one of Bill's specialties. I don't have all the answers. Nobody does, but we have good people in place to try to search for those answers. I am asking for all of you to give them your support as they do their jobs. Chicago will miss Bill Champlin, just as we miss those former members of our Order, but Lou Pardini is a great replacement for him. Likewise, the Daughters of today are every bit as capable and enthusiastic as the Daughters of any other era. Plus, those former members often come back to help, and become the adult co-workers of tomorrow. With everyone's help - members, former members, adult co-workers, and old buzzards like me - we can, to quote one of Chicago's biggest hits, Dialogue, "Make it Happen." Thanks to all for reading. I'll be seeing you around. |
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Missouri was well represented by the numerous young ladies participating
in various Formal Opening ceremonies, Supreme Bethel, SGC Installation and receiving awards. Formal Opening Escorts Flag Ceremony Bible Ceremony Closing Formation HIKE $1000 Medallions Supreme Scholarships Supreme Bethel Supreme Bethel Representative to California 5 & 6:
`Michelle Maevers, Bethel #60 SGC Installation Jennifer Hallahan, PHQ #44, GBHQ, Escort for Mom Toni Underwood, PHQ, Vice Supreme Guardian Closing Formation Arts & Crafts Lilly Flanery, #33 Becca Hairer, #49 Brianna Hall, #19 Erin Howard, #47 Tiffany Hudson, #19 Katie Karmeier, #44 Michelle Maevers, #60 Caitlyn Washington, #43 Performing Arts Lilly Flanery, #33 Brianna Hall, #19 Brianna Hall, #19 & Erin Howard, #47 Tiffany Hudson, #19 Michelle Maevers, #60 Ritual The following ladies received recognition and an angel pin for
perfect regalia: *Tiffany received two pins, one for ritual competition and one for the Miss International Pageant Becca Hairer, #49 Brianna Hall, #19 Katie Karmeier, #44 Carolyn Kirchhoff, #4 Katee Leongerger, #43 Michelle Maevers, #60 Although the Supreme Ritual Team didn't place, they did an outstanding job representing Missouri. We would like to recognize the following for all of their hard work and dedication and thank them for serving on Missouri's Supreme Ritual Team: 1st Messenger - Carolyn Kirchhoff, #4 If any competition information is missing or incorrect, please send us an e-mail so we may correct it. |
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