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Supreme Session 2011 |
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Supreme Session 2011 |
| Friday, July 22 | Saturday, July 23 | Sunday, July 24 Newspaper |
| Monday, July 25 Newspaper |
Tuesday, July 26 Newspaper |
Wednesday, July 27 Newspaper |
| Thursday, July 28 Newspaper |
Friday, July 29 Newspaper |
Saturday, July 30 Newspaper |
| Sunday, July 31 | ||
| Thanks for Visiting. If you are of a mind, drop me a note. | ||
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 A view of the Arch from the hotel |
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Hey everyone. Spent most of the day today filling bags and sorting items as we get ready for Supreme Session. Tomorrow is more or less the unofficial start of Session. We have a couple of tLours going out. One to Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and the other to one of the Riverboats on the Mississippi River for a dinner cruise. I am hobbling around pretty badly. As many of you know I have pretty severe artritis in my knees and back. Well, a few days ago when we were doing so really intensive prep work for Session, I fell as I was climbing some step and sprained my right ankle. You know how some folks say, "A sprain hurts worse than a break." Well, they aint just a whistlin' Dixie, lol. Anyway, I walk a few steps, sit for a bit, walk a bit more . . . well, you get the drift. For those of you wondering about the picture of the cat in the first picture above, Colleen Vezeau, one of our great Session workers and the Chairperson of Missouri's Grandparents and Friends Club, took that at the Goede's house during some of our prep work for Supreme Session. They have three cats, and this one decided to help out by taking a snooze on my computer bag when we took a break for dinner. Speaking of dinner, I have to send a special thank you to Dad Lon Goede, PAGG of Missouri. When you are at Lon and Ginny's house, and your work takes you to suppertime, Lon cooks for everybody and let me tell you, he is a wonderful chef. As most of you know I am a good sized man (that's politically correct terminology for too darn fat), but I said if I ate at the Goede's house all the time I would weigh 900 pounds. Thanks Lon for your hospitality and your great food. My reports this year will be quite a bit more brief than in the past years. I will spend most of my time in the Supreme Session office, so I will be depending on my Session sources for reports on what's going on outside of this room. That's about it for now. Talk to you later. |
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 GBHQ Ashley and GB Rep Mary at the Photography Table with Photography Chair Mom Linda and Cheryl Washington |
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Okay, we are at the end of the first day of having the Session Office open. I took my one hour walk from our room down to the Session Office. The walk that would have taken anyone else about 10 minutes. Oh well, it's good for people watching. We had a busy day today as we got the office up and running. We had lot's of folks helping I will have a list together later because I don't want to leave anyone out, and if I leave it to my own memory . . . I'm sorry, what was I talking about?
A lot of folks were arriving at Session today and the hotel was starting to get busy. Everyone was busy as the unpacked their cars, checked into the hotel, checked into the Session and got their badges and goodie bags and just generally enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Supreme Session. We did have one bit of bad news. We heard from Tomilynn McManus, Curator of the Ethel T. Wead Mick Memorial Room at the International Center. She injured her knee and had to go to Urgent Care this morning. while X-rays show no broken bones, she might have a ligament or meniscus tear. She will have further tests on Monday. She will be missed, not only for her presence, which always brightens everyone's day, but also for her Curator's Display and presentations. The presentations were shaping up to be a very popular event, and I know that people will be disapointed that they had to be cancelled. All is not lost however. We will be trying to get some of Tomilynn's info in the Session Newspaper. Hopefully it will work out and while it won't be the same, at least the foks will get a bit of the info Tomilynn had planned to present.
Today's tours included the Busch Stadium Tour and the Riverboat Cruise. Busch Stadium is the home of 10 Time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and it is really a cool place to watch a ballgame. The Riverboat Cruise took everyone on board back to the day of Dixieland Jazz, cruising the Mississippi River in style, and some wonderful food. The cruise was enjoyed by all. That's about it for now. I will try to update some more a bit later. C ya :) |
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 Sharing a laugh |
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Hey everybody. I hope you are all doing well. Things are going good here. The first thing I want to do is to send out some shout outs to some friends who have sent e-mails. First of all, Jan Harms, a Past Grand Guardian of Pennsylvania. Jan writes:
Thanks Jan. I am glad to do it, although as I stated earlier my reports will probably be somewhat shorter than in the past due to my Session duties. Next, Sarah Broadaway, PHQ from Wyoming (originally from Missouri) writes:
Thanks Sarah. As I said Sarah was originally from Missouri. She is one of a set of triplets. When they and their parents moved to Wyoming we lost some great Jobies but Wyoming gained some great ones. Today the Ritual Exemplification took place, and the Missouri girls who performed it did a wonderful job. We had some last minute substitutes for those who couldn't get to Session in time, so when I get those names I will post the exemplification team members here. There was some discussion after the exemplification but most of that will occur following the Jobie Congress on Wednesday Morning. Following that, MIJD Aline Busnardo and SBHQ Courtney Painter will report the thoughts and opinions of the Job's Daughters in Attendance to the body of the Supreme Guardian Council. For those who don't know, this year the main item on the SGC agenda is Ritual Revision, and the opinions of the Daughters who are the one's to do the work is very important and our Supreme Guardian, Mom Toni Underwood, wanted to make sure that the Voting Delegates hear those opinions.
We had some really cool tours today. One went to Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor. This is a fun theme park and water park combination and the kids had a blast. Another went to Grant's Farm. This is the ancestoral home of the Busch family, famous for making various kinds of beverages. They have an animal preservation park on the grounds, in addition to having the cabin that President Ulyses Grant lived in prior to the Civil War. It is really cool. The Faust Park tour to the group to the park that holds the St. Louis Carousel and the Butterfly Museum. Definitely a neat tour. As I write this, another group is at the Muny. That short for Municipal Opera. It is an outdoor theater that stages Broadway Musicals throughout the summer. Tonight they are watching Singing In The Rain. Wish I could have been there. Well, that's about it for now. If I get a chance I will write some more later, but for now I am heading back to the room to grab a bite to eat. Bye for now. |
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 All of the winners from the Performing Arts Competition |
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Playing catch up a bit. On Monday the Session swung into full gear. The Performing Arts Competition got underway as the the Arts & Crafts Registration. There were a lot of talented Jobies running around singing, playing instruments, dancing, doing speeches and just generally having fun. A lot of the Missouri girls competed and they were all excited to be a part of the day's activities. Again I spent the biggest part of the day in the Session Office. We have a great staff of people working in the office such as Colleen Vezeau, Lon Goede,John Vezeau, Lynne Stratmann, Pam Johnson, Ramona May, Ladonne Snavely, Jim Snavely, Cheryl Washington and Ginny Goede. I am typing this at one in the morning so If I missed somebody, I apologize. In additions we have a ton of people working at various jobs at Session. I will get full list and post them. This evening we had the Masonic Dinner, which was chaired by Dad Dave Haywood. The dinner was delicious and the conversation even better. Following the dinner, most of men went to Tuscan Lodge to watch a Master Mason degree conferred on the son of Brad Hudson. I went back to the office to finish up my day's work and then we had our nightly meeting to plan for the next day's activities.
After that I went to the Spirit Showcase, which featured performances by some of those who competed in the Performing Arts Competition. "Miss" Kim Underwood, the competition chairperson, was the MC for the evening and did a great job. The performances were amazing. We have a really talented bunch of girls in our Order. In addition to the performance, the Competition winners were announced. The Missouri girls did really well. They were as follows: Amanda Aiken, #49 Lydia Aiken, #49 Ashlee Brannin, #7 Brooklyn Childs, #12 Claire Gibbs, #49 Brianna Hall, #47 Brittany Hall, #47 Alexis Hudson, #19 MO Emily Klein, #49 Justina Mitchell, #12 Caitlyn Washington, #43 Bethel #49 Congratulations to them and to all that competed. Well, that's about it for now. I'l talk to you later |
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 Dad John Vezeau and Mom Pam Johnson help more folks get registered |
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Hello again. Today started out bright and early with another trip to the Session Office. It was quite the day as we worked with the set-up staff to switch some of the luncheons around. It's funny, a lot of our original plans changed because of certain time constraints on the hotel staff as far as re-configuring rooms. We moved many of our meals into the Exhibit Hall. A large facility, but not the most elegant part of the hotel. Well today Don (our set-up person) mentioned that the varous rooms that comprise the Grand Ballroom would be nicer for one of the breakfasts for Wednesday. I agreed and we figured out how to have it that way. Then I mentioned that it would be great if we could move more of the meals into the Grand Ballroom areal. Well, to make a long story short, we were figuring and drawing, scribbling and scratching our heads and finally we managed to get all of the meals for Wednesday into the Grand Ballroom area . . . which was where we really wanted them in the first place, lol. Thanks to Don for working so hard for us.
This evening the HIKE Spirit Dance was held. Prior to the dance the Missouri HIKE Committee made a presentation to a young man, and he and his family were thrilled. Then it was time for the Dance. I was the DJ, and we had a lot of girls and a few adults dancing up a storm. We had a Cheering Contest during the dance, and Alberta won a very close competition. In addition to the various Jurisdictional Cheer teams, we also had the Rappin Hillbillies do a skit. They were actually the men of the Supreme Line and they all dressed up like Ozark Mountain hillbillies and did a wonderful hillbilly rap and skit. Below is the script, although you really had to be there to get the full effect:
After the Dance, I met with our Miss International Job's Daughter Aline Busnardo and we went over our program for the MIJD Pageant. I will serve as the MC for the evening, and Aline and I went over some plans for the evening. Time for a few shout-outs now. The first comes from Mom Pam Buffalow, BG #48-MO. Pam writes
Thanks Pam. I'd kinda like to be around for a long, long, long . . . yes, I got the drift, lol. Also, congratulation on the new initiates. Keep up the great work. The next shout-out goes to Tawnya Schultz, PBG #1-OR. Tawnya writes
Thanks Tawnya, I really appreciate it, and I am sure that Toni does as well. As you can see by her note, Tawyna is a fan of the rock group Chicago. Those who know me know that I am as well. Maybe we can both be at the Supreme Session in Washington in a few years and we will listen to Saturday in the Park to celebrate :) Well, that's about it for now. It is very late, I am very tired, and I have to be interviewing girls at 7 in the morning. Good night everyone. |
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 Some of the MIJD Contestants |
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Hey guys, it has been another busy day today. A lot of folks checking in and even a lot making new registrations. I spent most of the day interviewing MIJD Contestants. That started at 7:00 a.m. I will be the MC for the pageant and this was a great opportunity to meet a great group of young ladies. They were all very impressive. Any one of them will make an outstanding Miss International Job's Daughter. The SGC Business Sessions got underway this morning with much anticipation about the Ritual Revions that is the main item on the agenda this year. In addition, Jobie Congress was held this morning, and MIJD Aline and SBHQ Courtney led the discussion which concerned . . . yep, you guessed it, Ritual Revision. After Jobie Congress, when the Business Session re-convened for the afternoon, Supreme Guardian Mom Toni had Aline and Courtney give the opinions of the Daughters from the Congress. Mom Toni wanted to make sure that the Voting Delegates heard what the Daughters had to say.
In between talking with the MIJD Contestants I attended the Men of Job Luncheon. As usual the food was great and the company even better. Charlie Weigert, was the featured speaker and talked about the booming business of Fantasy Sports Leagues. The talk was very well received. Our ASG, Dad Rick Holloway then talked about the Session and some of his travels throughout the year. Our own Dad Dave Haywood was the chairperson of this Luncheon and did a great job with it. While the Men of Job Luncheon was going on, the Royalty Luncheon was being held in a different room. The Grand Chapter of Missouri OES helped to underwrite this luncheon and we thank them for that. Barb Hall and her crew did a great job with this Luncheon. Kudos to all of them. After Lunch I went to the Session Office to catch up a bit and then it was back to the MIJD Candidate Interviews. The group in the afternoon was just as impressive as the moring group. I'm glad I am not the one to have to decide which will be the new Miss International. At 5:00 we had the Formal Banquet. There were a couple of options for dinner, BBQ Chicken or Pork Steaks. The food was delicious and I think that everybody was really impressed with the flavor. Many people discovered pork steaks or the first time. They are a St. Louis tradition but not too well known outside of the area. Those who were adventurous enough to try them were rewarded with a wonderful meal. Of course the BBQ chicken was delicious as well. The Formal opening followed the Banquet. The evening opened with the Missouri choir singing three songs, and they did a wonderful job. Thanks to all who sang, as well as Mom Diane Haywood, who was our Choir Director and Mom Jan Weber, who was our pianist. My daughter, Katie, who is a singer was invited by the girls to take part in the choir. She agreed., but didn't want to distract from the girls being the center of attention so she sort of hid in the back. I was off to the side at that point, so I wasn't able to get a good picture of the choir, but I was able to get a bit of a picture of Katie hiding in the back. Again, thanks to the girls of the Missouri Choir. You were fantastic
In addition to singing with the choir, Katie sang several other songs and did a great job. I served as the host of the opening and Mom Marlene Frakes served as the Hostess. We introduced all of the distinguished guests, including our fellow Past Supremes. That was fun, but man, was it hot onstage. We had full blast stage lighting and everybody up there was sweating profusely. Although Mom Sheila Lardner, Supreme Musician, played for the event, I did play the piano for Katie to sing during the Bible Ceremony and since my duties on stage were finished at that point, I stayed by the piano where is was somewhat cooler. My mama didn't raise no dummy, lol.
Following the formal opening we had a Missouri pizza party. A special presentation was made to the Missouri Supreme Ritual Team was made by Team Coach, Katie Underwood. She talked about how hard the team worked and that they did a fantastic job. That they did as they made a Third Place finish, Missouri's highest in several years. Then it was time for all of the Missouri folks to say good luck to our Miss Missouri Job's Daughter Kaarin Hoogstraten as she continues her work in the MIJD Competition. Kaarin got very emotional as all of the well-wishes came in. She spoke about how proud she is to be representing Missouri Job's Daughters and that she hoped to do well. Grand Guarding Kim Underwood, Associate Grand Guardian Joe Braun, GBHQ Ashley Ray and the GB3 as well as Erin and Amy of the Miss Missouri Trio all talked about what a wonderful Miss Missouri Kaarin has been and how well they thought she would do in the pageant. Then it was time for a group hug and it was back to the rooms for everybody. I would have said off to bed, but I know that I didn't get to bed for a couple of hours, and I am guessing that with all of the talking and stuff that goes one, a lot of other folks didn't get to bed right away either. Well, that's about it for now. I will talk to you later. |
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 Retires her cape and crown |
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Another long day. We started with the Supreme Bethel Meeting at 7:30 a.m. They did the Degree of Royal Purple and our Supreme Guardian, Toni Underwood, was one of the recipients. This came as a complete surprise to her as she was unaware she had even been nominated. Congratulations to Mom Toni on this great honor. During the meeting, Kristi Frazier, PHQ #1-Oregon, was selected to be the new Supreme Bethel Honored Queen. Missouri had several girls selected as Supreme Bethel Representatives. Lydia Aiken of Bethel #49 was selected as the Supreme Bethel Representative to Acre, Kynnedi Childs of Bethel #12 was selected as the Supreme Bethel Representative to California Region 9 & 10, and Kelly Weber of Bethel #5 was selected as the Supreme Bethel Representative to Roraima. In addition, Caitlyn Washington of Bethel #43 was selected as the Installing Recorder for the Supreme Bethel Installation on Friday. Scarlett Hill from Bethel #1 in Iowa was selected as the Supreme Bethel Representative to Missouri.
Following the Supreme Bethel Meeting, we had the Past Grands Luncheon. We had a great time talking, laughing and eating. The Moolah Chanters sang a great selection of songs as they strolled among the diners. Thanks to Mom Nancy Knarr for putting together this luncheon. Following lunch, I went back to the Session Office and spent the rest of the afternoon doing a mixture of Session chores and getting my material ready for the MIJD Pageant later this evening. Later the Supreme Line Jurisdictional Dinners were held. I attended the Missouri-Idaho Jurisdictional Dinner this evening. We had 108 in attendance and that was a tremendous turn-out. I didn't stay very long however as I kind of ate and ran as I had to finish my material for the Pageant.
Speaking of the MIJD Pageant, we had a great time there this evening. All of the candidates were fantastic, including our own Kaarin. We were all so excited when she was named as the First Runner-Up. Brianna Richards, PHQ #23-Alberta was named as the new Miss International Job's Daughter. This is the third time in four years that the Alberta contestant was named as MIJD. Not only did she win the title, but she also won the Written Ritual Test, Oral Ritual Recitation, Miss Congeniality and Miss International Job's Daughters. We believe that was the first time someone has swept all four of those categories. Following the pageant we had a Missouri-Idaho get together in our suite. It was a fun time, and we all got to congratulate Kaarin on such a great showing. Well, that's about it for now. It's almost 2:00 a.m. and I am ready for bed. I have a lot of shout-outs to get to, so please hang in there. Good night everybody. |
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 Judy and Shelley enjoy the luncheon |
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We were up and at 'em bright and early this morning. The SGC Business Meeting began at 8:00 a.m. Then at 9:00 it was time for the SGC Elections. Those already in the Supreme Line were advanced by acclamation. They were Supreme Guardian: Bobbie Hoglund, Maryland, Associate Supreme Guardian: Randy Hansen, Utah, Vice Supreme Guardian: RoseMarie Short, California, Vice Associate Supreme Guardian: Ron Johnson, Michigan, Grand Guide: Patty Reardon, Washington and Grand Inner Guard: Gary Semaniuk, Alberta. Then the two new kids on the block were elected. They were Grand Marshal, Barbara Cooper, Illinois and Grand Outer Guard: Mike Allen, Wisconsin. Following that the two new members of the Board of Trustees were elected. They were Ashley Underwood, Missouri and Janine Coley, Wisconsin. Okay, I know I am talking about myself in the third person. I am excited to be on the Board and hope that I can do a good job for the Order. A funny thing about the Board Elections. As you can see there were two positions open. Janine and I both stood in the first ballot. There were four aspirants during that ballot. After the votes were tallied, Janine was in the lead by one vote over me while the others were a bit further back. For the second ballot it was just Janine and I. We wound up tied. We both looked at each other and laughed because this was not the first time this had happened to Janine. When she stood for Supreme Marshal back in 2004, I was the Associate Supreme Guardian and was running the elections. There were just two aspirants for Supreme Marshal and I thought to myself, "Well, since there are just two candidates, we will get a winner on the first ballot." We didn't. They were tied. Then on the next ballot, Janine was elected as the new Supreme Marshal by 1 vote and went on to be a wonderful Supreme Guardian. Now, here she was again, tied in an election. We went to the third ballot. When the count went back, it was first announced at Janine was elected by 1 vote. I thought, "Here's history repeating itself." However it wasn't exactly so. The Head Teller realized he had flip-flopped the vote and then announced that I had won by 1 vote. Wow, although I was happy, I felt really bad for Janine to be announced as the winner but then have it switched. Still, I felt that she would win for the second vacancy and sure enough, she did on the first ballot. Congratulations to Janine and to all those elected to the Supreme Line. I know you will all do fantastic jobs.
After the morning business session it was time for the Awards Luncheon. It was great to sit down to a meal of chicken strips and macaroni and cheese. The food was excellent and the girls really liked it. Over the years Supreme Session awards have been handed out at various functions. Lately it has settled down to the Monday night Talent show for the Performing Arts Awards and the All Job's Daughters Luncheon for the Ritual and Arts & Crafts. This year we actually called it the Awards Luncheon so that people knew that the awards would be handed out. It really helped the meal attendance and everyone seemed to like the change. The Missouri Girls did very well in both the Ritual and Arts & Crafts Competitions. Here are the Missouri Winners: Ritual Competition Junior Princess Junior Division 1st Place Molly Gibbs, #49 MO 2nd Place Lydia Pensel, #60 MO
Proficiency Junior Division 1st Place Alexis Hudson, #19 MO 2nd Place Kynnedi Childs, #12 MO
First Messenger Junior Division 1st Place Brooklyn Childs, #12 MO 2nd Place Stephanie Bube, #43 MO 3rd Place Amanda Aiken, #49 MO
Intermediate 1st Place Kiley Whitton, #7 MO (Perfect Score) 2nd Place Lilly Flannery, #33 MO
Second Messenger Junior Division 1st Place Cora Lyon, #25 WA 2nd Place Clara Burtard, #76 WI 3rd Place McKenzie Braun, #19 WI
Intermediate 2nd Place Katie Tevebaugh, #49 MO
Third Messenger Intermediate 3rd Place Jasmine Gunter, #12 MO
Senior 1st Place Amy Bush, #49 MO
Fourth Messenger Intermediate 2nd Place Emily Klein, #49 MO
Fifth Messenger Junior Division 1st Place Tara Jolley, #43 MO
Story of Job Junior Division 1st Place Brittany Hall, #47 MO
Senior 1st Place Brianna Hall, #47 MO 3rd Place Rebecca Hairer, #49 MO
Team 3rd Place Missouri
Arts & Crafts Division A: Photography Category 1: Color Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Sophia Jeffords-Haas, #12 MO Junior 1st Place - Lilly Flanery, #33 MO
Category 2: Black and White Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Jewel Childs, #12 MO
Division B: Painting Category 2: Acrylic Junior 1st Place - Amanda Aiken, #49 MO Senior 2nd Place - Claire Gibbs, #49 MO
Category 3: Watercolor Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Jewel Childs, #12 MO Junior 1st Place - Molly Gibbs, #49 MO 2nd Place - Kynnedi Childs, #12 MO
Division C: Drawing Category 1: Pencil, Pastel, Charcoal, Chalk Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Sophia Jeffords-Haas, #12 MO Junior 1st Place - Brittany Hall, #47 MO 2nd Place - Alexis Hudson, #19 MO 3rd Place - Lilly Flanery, #33 MO
Category 2: Pen and Ink Junior 1st Place - Amanda Aiken, #49 MO
Division D: Computer Generated Art Category 2: Graphic Senior 1st Place - Amy Bush, #40 MO 3rd Place - Michelle Humphrey, #12 MO Category 3: Jobie Themed Web Page Junior 1st Place - Emily Klein, # 49 MO
Division E: Paper Art Category 1: Collage Junior 2nd Place - Emily Klein, #49 MO Senior 2nd Place - Michelle Humphrey, #12 MO
Category 2: Paper Mache, Decoupage Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Jewel Childs, #12 MO
Division F: Handicrafts Category 1: Ceramics, Pottery Hand Made (not molded) Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Sophia Jeffords-Haas, #12 MO Junior 3rd Place - Alexis Hudson, #19 MO
Category 2: Molded Pottery Senior 1st Place - Rebecca Harier, #49 MO 3rd Place - Natalie Boelloeme, #12 MO
Category 3: Woodworking Senior 1st Place - Rebecca Hairer, #49 MO 3rd Place - Jasmine Gunter, #12 MO
Category 5: Jewelry Jobie-to-Bee 1st Place - Jewel Childs, #12 MO Junior 1st Place - Brooklyn Childs, #12 MO 2nd Place - Amanda Aiken, #49 MO 3rd Place - Emily Klein, #49 MO Senior 2nd Place - Rebecca Harier, #49 MO 3rd Place - Claire Gibbs, #49 MO
Category 6: Metal Work Junior 1st Place - Emily Klein, #49 MO
Category 7: Dolls, Stuffed Toys, Soft Sculptures, Games Senior 1st Place - Lydia Aiken, #49 MO 2nd Place - Amy Bush, #49 MO
Division I - Sewing Category 1: Clothing Senior 1st Place - Rebecca Hairer, #49 MO
Category 2: Outerwear Junior 1st Place - Brooklyn Childs, #12 MO
Category 3: Home Dιcor Junior 2nd Place - Molly Gibbs, #49 MO 3rd Place - Wren McMillen, #49 MO Senior 1st Place - Claire Gibbs, #49 MO 2nd Place - Jasmine Gunter, #12 MO
Category 1: Carrying Pieces Junior 1st Place - Lilly Flanery, #33 MO 2nd Place - Emily Klein, #49 MO Senior 1st Place - Ashley Ray, #43 MO
Category 2: Centerpieces Junior 1st Place - Emily Klein, #49 MO
Category 3: Silk Designs Senior 2nd Place - Amy Bush, #49 MO
Division K: Scrapbooks - Jobs Daughters Category 1: Individual Junior 1st Place - Molly Gibbs, #49 MO 2nd Place - Bayleigh Yeager, #43 MO 3rd Place - Alexis Hudson, #19 MO
Division L: Miscellaneous Junior 3rd Place - Alexis Hudson, #19 MO Senior 2nd Place - Katie Tevebaugh, #49 MO
After the Awards Luncheon it was back to the Business Meeting. As I wrote about earlier, this year's Supreme Business Meetings were dedicated to Ritual Revision. There has been a lot of discussion over the past year as a couple of different versions of the Revision were published on the Supreme Website. There was much anticipation and some trepidation about how the meetings would go, but Mom Toni ran a tight ship and instead of the Business Sessions spilling over to Saturday as some had feared, Mom Toni actually wrapped everything up a bit early on Friday. Congratulations to her on doing such a fantastic job and to all of the Voting Delegates for working together for the good of the Order.
Today was also the day that the Session Office staff began to get just a bit goofy from so many long days and short nights. As to you see from the pictures below we were having a big laugh as Lon Goede displayed his personal Christmas decorations.
After the Business Meetings we had a meeting of all of the Session Arrangements Committees for the next few years. We told them what worked well this year and some things that they might want to change. Everyone seemed very happy with the Session this year, and Missouri has a lot to be proud of.
Then it was onto the Past Supremes Dinner. It was very well attended this year and everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship. Mom Toni and Dad Rick were there as the almost newest members of the Past Supremes Club. Following dinner they were dismissed and we had our Initiation of Mom Elaine Gray and Dad Dave Robblee. Unfortunately Dad Robblee couldn't be in attendance so I filled in for him in the Initiation.
Following the Past Supreme's Dinner, I headed to the Supreme Bethel Installation to play piano. Brianna Richards played the first part, and then I took over when she went to the Stage as Miss International. The Installation was very beautiful, and SBHQ Courtney did a great job as the Installing Officer. Kristi Frazier was Installed as the new SBHQ, while Pat Pelham and Bill Jack Westbrook were Installed as Supreme Bethel Guardian and Associate Supreme Bethel Guardian respectively. Following the Installation the Wisconsin Daughters came to me and made me Mr. Congeniality. During the MIJD Pageant I had joked that I had wanted to be Mr. Congeniality. The Wisconsin girls took me up on my statement and gave me my own sash made of toilet paper. We all laughed and had a wonderful time during the "presentation." A very special thank you to the Wisconsin girls for such a touching gesture :)
Following the Installation it was time for the Coronation Ball. I was the DJ again, and the joint was rocking. Everyone was dancing and hanging out with their friends. This is really one of my favorite times when the girls can really get to know others from around the world. They make friends that they will have for the rest of their lives. Friends forever and Sisters for Life is not just a slogan. It is the reality of Jobie life.
After the Dance we all went to the South Tower of the Hotel and the girls all sang Nearer My God To Thee. It was very beautiful and moving. Then it was off to bed. That's about it for now. I'll be back with more later. |
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 Mom Shirley Bryngelson makes the rounds |
| Well, the Session is beginning to wind down. The Office wasn't
nearly so busy and we actually had some time to catch our breath now and
then. This morning I also attended my first Board of Trustees Meeting
since I was Associate Supreme Guardian in 2004. We elected our new
Chairman (Karen Willard) and Vice Chairman (Shelly Cole) and then received
our respective duties for the year. Dad Jeff Kitsmiller, PAGG-MO and
the Executive Director of DeMolay International stopped in to say hello and
it was great to see him. Following the meeting, I attended the Alumni Luncheon and had a wonderful time. This is one of my favorite Luncheons. The Session is coming to a close and it is one last chance to share a meal and fellowship with your friends both old and new. After the Luncheon we had the SGC Installation Rehearsal. It went very well. I will be the Installing Musician for the Installation and as a joke I played Inna Gadda Da Vida as Bobbie Hoglund was escorted to the East. She got a big kick out of it. During our discussions about what music to play, I told her I would play nna Gadda Da Vida as she was Installed. Her husband, PASG Mike Hoglund, remembered it and had me play it for the rehearsal. Following the rehearsal, Katie and I had our own rehearsal as she will be singing for the Installation.
Before you know it, it was time for the Installation Pictures. Our Photography staff had been busy during the entire Session and tonight was no exception. Dad John Brand and his daughter Daniella took pictures both before and during the Installation. Congratulations to our entire photography staff, chaired by Mom Linda Meunier. Brad Hudson also performed standout duty. The Installation went very well. When Mom Toni and Dad Rick were presented at the altar for the final time as Supreme Guardian and Associate Supreme Guardian, Katie sang The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand. As soon as Mom Toni hear the first notes on the piano, she knew what song was coming and started to tear up. Barbra Streisand is her favorite singer and The Way We Were one of her favorite movies and songs. She was very touched. When the new Supreme Officers entered the Room, Katie Sang Soul Sister. Bobbie's Theme for the year is International Sisterhood, and her songs were geared toward that. Of course when Bobbie was installed and escorted to the East, I just had to play a classical version of Inna Gadda Da Vida. Not many people caught it, but Bobbie did and again got a big kick out of it. As the evening came to a close, the Session itself came to an official close. Tomorrow will be a clean-up and check-out day. Talk to you later. |
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 . . . Then it was time to get packed up |
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Well, the Session has come to a close. It was a long tiring time, but very enjoyable. All of our great Missouri people really worked hard to put on a fantastic Supreme Session. Mom Toni, who has done a great job as Supreme Guardian, finished in fine fashion as she ran a tight ship during the SGC Business Sessions. Thanks to Dad Rick, Aline and Courtney for all of their fantastic work throughout the year. I look as all of you as my friends and Aline and Courtney are just like my own daughters. I have often said the putting a Supreme Session together is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle in which none of the pieces fit. Well, our great Missouri folks made the pieces fit for the JDI Spirit Session. A special thank you goes to Mom Nelda Kaeser for the use of her scooter. It really made getting around much easier. Below is a partial list of those who helped in various ways. More names will be added as we catch up on sleep and remember those who we have inadvertently overlooked :)
One last shout-out. Ron Zimmer, an old friend going back to my DeMolay days, writes:
Thanks Ron. While nothing too exciting happened on the eight mile trip to Supreme Session, but after the trip home something funny happened. Mom Toni went back to the hotel, took PSG Elaine Gray to Target to buy something that apparently was much less expensive than back home in Queensland, and then took her back to the hotel to catch her ride to the airport. Now that is going above and beyond the call of duty, but she was glad to do it. That's about it for now. I hope that everyone had enjoyed this years diary. I know a lot of this was done after the fact, but there just wasn't enough time to get to it in real time. Hopefully for those who weren't at Session, this has given you a bit of a taste of what the JDI Spirit Session was all about. Talk to y'all later ;) |
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