Ruth @ LifeHouse Theatre

Today our plan was to go to LifeHouse Theatre in Redlands to see their production of "Ruth", the story from the Bible.  Sadly, the show was cancelled due to illness of the cast members, and our tickets are being refunded.  Since the holidays are coming quickly and we all have so much on our plates already, our Queens Carol N and Toni have decided not to look for a substitute event.   

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and we'll see you in December.    

Outreach Projects Day

This has been a very busy weekend.  It started on Friday night with the first part of the Fresh Grounded Faith Women's Conference at Crosspoint Church in Chino.  What an amazing group of speakers . . . Jennifer Rothschild, Joni Erickson Tada, and Crystal Paine.  Plus wonderful worship music led by Harold & Elena Guerra.  We definitely came away feeling very encouraged and grounded in bible wisdom and God's love.  

The conference continued Saturday morning.  

Fresh Grounded Faith Women's Conference
Front:  Joy, Kathryn
Back:  Debbie, Robin, Tina, Carol N, Kathy

After the conference ended, we had a delicious lunch along with some great conversation at Black Bear Diner . . .

Front:  Seema, Tina, Joy
Back:  Carol N, Robin, Debbie, Kathy

Next stop, Noble-Torian Manor to fill our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  

So many wonderful items for our shoeboxes -
School supplies, hygiene items, tools, flashlights
and other useful items, and items just for fun

We prayed over all the items before putting them into
the boxes.  We also prayed for the boys who would
receive our boxes.

The assembly line begins.

Our finished boxes!

One more prayer over each of the completed boxes.

Debbie has this wonderful book with stories about Operation
Christmas Child and how children around the world
have come to know Jesus because of a simple
shoebox gift.

Queen Debbie reading stories to us.

Front:  Leslie
Middle:  Tina, Robin, Carol N
Back:  Debbie, Seema, Heather, Kathy, Joy

Our second Outreach Project for 2021 was the House of Ruth which provides shelter and assistance to women and children dealing with homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse and recent incarcerations.  We learned that they are always in need of basic necessities and hygiene items, along with gift cards in small denominations to stores like Wal-Mart and Target.  We collected money during the year and purchased a nice stack of gift cards, and some of our ladies donated hygiene items, and the day after we filled shoeboxes, our donations were dropped off at House of Ruth.

House of Ruth in Pomona

 

Plaque on the wall inside the reception area

Carol N & Debbie about to drop off
our contributions

Some of our FRIENDS couldn't join us for the assembly of our shoeboxes, but everyone contributed items and we are so appreciative to all our ladies for making this Outreach Project so successful each year.  Hopefully these boxes will change the lives of some young boys who live in a country far far away, and also open their hearts to accepting Jesus into their lives.  We are also thankful for the donations given for House of Ruth.    

Snow White

Live theatre is so much fun!  Queen Kathy invited us to a little theatre in Redlands called LifeHouse Theater to see their production of the classic fairy tale "Snow White".  We had such a good time!!  LifeHouse Theatre's mission is to make a difference and they add a faith-based element into each of their stories, which is so refreshing in today's world.

LifeHouse Theatre

Snow White - The Classic Fairy Tale

When we first entered the theatre, we were overcome with the mouth-watering fragrance of fresh baked cookies!  Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut cookies, right out of the oven, for the unbelievable price of $1 each.  Delish!  

After our sweet treat, we were directed to our seats, which were perfect.  (I don't think there's a "bad" seat in the house.)  Here we are waiting for the show to start . . . 

Queen Kathy, Leslie, Barbara, Carol N, Joy, Seema

The theatre is small, the stage is small, and most of the actors are volunteers.  And it's all wonderful.  The story was fun, the characters were clever and cute - besides Snow White, the Prince Stephen, the Evil Queen Belladonna, her Magic Mirror, her sidekick Craven the Raven, and of course, The Hag, there was Seymour the Owl, Rascal Rabbit, Whiff the Skunk, and Robby Raccoon.  My personal favorite were the Seven Dwarfs, who were regular sized people (they said the "dwarf thing was a misconception".)  They were hilarious.  Even their names were hilarious - Zippy, Tippy, Snippy, Lippy, Dippy, Nippy, and Iffy.  One of them - I think it was Tippy - kept falling over, so funny.  I wonder how many new bruises he has after each performance! 

No photography was allowed during the performance, but at the end we could take a photo of the cast . . . 

The Cast of Snow White

We really enjoyed the show and are looking forward to coming again in November to see "Ruth".

After the show, some of us headed over to Applebee's for dinner.  Get it?  Applebee's?  Keeping the apple theme going?  The Evil Queen, disguised as The Hag, offered a poisoned apple to Snow White?  The perfect place, right?

Here we are at Applebee's, waiting for our food . . .

Carol N, Joy, Kathy, Seema

But . . . shortly after this photo was snapped, the power went out.  Our server assured us it would come back on in just a minute or two.  But it didn't.  Looking through the window behind our table, we could see that the traffic light was now blinking red, so it wasn't just the power in the restaurant that was out, but likely in the surrounding area as well.  We waited for awhile, but finally, our server told us our food wasn't coming.  So we hugged good-bye and headed for home.  (Later, Kathy saw an accident on the freeway that likely was the cause of the power outage - hopefully no one was seriously hurt!)

All in all, we had a really good time.  And so what if it didn't go exactly as planned?  At the end of the day, it's all about the adventure, right?  Thanks Queen Kathy for planning such a fun outing.  Can't wait till next time!      

Backyard Picnic and BUNCO

What a fun way to spend a Hot August Evening!  Queens Robin and Leslie came up with the perfect idea to beat the heat and still have a lot of fun together.  We met at Leslie's house in the late afternoon.  Leslie has a nicely shaded deck in her backyard which was the perfect gathering place for us.  First order of business . . . Dinner!  Check out our scrumptious buffet!  

Croissants, Turkey, Ham, Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs, Veggies, Fruit, Chips & Dip, Oh My!

Let's eat!

Patiently waiting for food.

After we ate, we just sat outside, enjoying the cool air and sharing stories about what's been happening in our lives.  No rush, no stress, no agenda . . . just a nice relaxing evening of being together.

After a couple hours, we finally went inside to set up for BUNCO.  But first . . . There were two delicious desserts - lemon bars and a chocolate something that was Aw-May-Zing.  Guess I was so busy consuming both sugary treats, I forgot to snap a pic.  Sorry!  Just trust me - They were both wonderful!  Thank you, Queen Leslie and Queen Robin, for filling our tummies in such a delightful way!

Just before we started playing BUNCO, Queen Robin had some Door Prizes to give away.  

Queen Robin pulling the lucky winners . . .
 

Toni won a pretty scarf

Debbie won a lovely pin

And Carol N won matching Red Hat pin and earrings

Next came BUNCO.  Still being mindful of our health and safety, we played a modified "Covid" style BUNCO - everyone had her own set of dice and kept her own score, but we did change seats at the end of each game so we could hopefully play with everyone.  

Congrats to all the winners:
Sitting - Toni
Standing:  Robin, Barbara, Carol N, Leslie

All in all, it was a really really nice afternoon/evening.  Thanks again Queens Leslie and Robin for planning such a fun day.  

Front:  Barbara, Robin, Leslie
Back:  Carol N, Tina, Toni, Kathy, Debbie, Joy

Can't wait to see everyone again next month!

Puzzling Adventure - San Clemente

Today we're off on another adventure.  This time we're taking the Metrolink train to the San Clemente Pier where we'll enjoy a delicious lunch while soaking up the view and the sound of the ocean waves.  And then, we'll spend the rest of the afternoon solving (or trying to solve) riddles and clues that will take us on a Puzzling Adventure all around the area. 

But first, we have some exciting news.  We have a new F.R.I.E.N.D. and she's joining us for the very first time today.  Her name is Tina and we're thrilled that she's decided to join our group and come out to play with us.

Welcome Tina!!

Because we are coming from a few different areas, we are meeting at two different train stations.  Our first group met at the Corona North Main station.

Joy, Tina, Kathy, Debbie, Carol N

Taking the train is such a good idea - no traffic, no parking hassles, and the fare is amazing . . . 

Round Trip Ticket

Carol L and Seema joined us two stops later at the Anaheim Canyon station.  Once we were all together, we posed for a couple pictures . . . 

First with masks . . . 
(Love the lady photo-bombing us in the back)

And then without . . . 
Front - Tina, Carol L
Back - Kathy, Debbie, Joy, Carol N, Seema

It was so nice and relaxing on the train, and it gave us a chance to catch up while we watched the scenery fly by.  We arrived at the San Clemente Pier just in time for lunch on the end of the pier . . . 

At Fisherman's Bar and Grill 

During lunch we could watch the waves crash on the beach -
and feel them thump against the pylons of the pier underneath us.

And we had this beautiful view of the pier

Once our tummy's were full, we were ready to play!  As we headed off to solve our first clue, we passed this sign . . . 

 

. . . which was pretty funny, because when the trains come, this horrendous sound roars through the town.  There is no way you can miss hearing it.  I tried to record it, but just didn't do it justice.  Take my word for it . . . it was L.O.U.D.!!!

Main street near the Pier

Our first clue took us up a steep set of stairs which led to Park Semper Fi, the Marine Monument, and a tribute wall in honor of all branches of the U.S. military.  This was definitely a place to show respect and appreciation for all who have served.

Marine Monument

Tribute Wall

Reading the wall to solve the clues

View of the shoreline and pier from Park Semper Fi

Another view

Queen Debbie reads our next clue

Which led us to . . . 

The Clock Tower

We continued following clues and solving riddles, and we actually did really well.  And we were enjoying the scenery along the way.

But what would an adventure be without a detour?  Or a wrong turn?  Or a mis-read clue?  What would we have to talk about if everything went perfectly?  Not to disappoint, we walked a bit out of our way, but if we hadn't made that mistake, we might have missed out on this pretty scenery . . . 

And these cute little guys

When we finally realized our mistake, we took a moment to rest and regroup . . . 

And enjoyed walking along the shoreline as we made our way back to the pier area.

Soaking up the sounds and smells of the ocean

Back at the pier, our next clue was on the Surf Report wall.

The last few clues led us along the pier, where we enjoyed watching the surfers . . . 

Surfers hoping for that perfect wave

On the Pier
Seema, Tina, Kathy, Debbie, Carol N, Carol L, Joy

The perfect end to a perfect day
Ice Cream!!!

Such a fun day!  Thank you Queen Debbie for making all the arrangements and persevering with your phone, even when the signal was less than ideal.  And it was so nice NOT to have to wear masks (except on the train).  We all had a great time, and can't wait to do another Puzzling Adventure in another town.  

Oh Look!  Here comes the train!  Time to go home . . . 

See you next time!