Time goes by so quickly, it hardly seems possible that ten years ago today, on January 21, 2005, our Bible-study Small Group became an official chapter of the Red Hat Society. Our journey actually began a few months before that . . .
Our small group was led by Toni and we met every Thursday night to study the Bible, but on the last Thursday of each month we took a break, sat our Bibles aside, and got together for a "Fun Night". It could be anything from meeting somewhere for dinner, bringing dinner pot-luck style to someone's home, watching a DVD, going out for a movie or play, or spending the evening playing games or cards. Whatever it was, it was always a great time, filled with giggles and silliness and quality time spent together - we were getting to really know each other and becoming more than just ladies who studied the Bible together, we were developing real friendships.
One weekend, a few of our ladies went to see
"Menopause the Musical" and ran into a group of Red Hatters. They got to talking and when our small group met the following Thursday night, these ladies announced that we absolutely HAD to join the Red Hat Society!!! After all, most of us were over 50, we enjoyed laughing and playing together, this was perfect for us. It took awhile to get it all organized, but in January of 2005, we chose the name
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. of the Red Hat Kind because that's what we were - FRIENDS. And we wanted to describe ourselves, so we came up with the acronym - Fun-loving, Rambunctious, Intelligent, Energetic, Nurturing, Dependable, Sisters (in Christ). And we wanted to all have an equal chance to be Queen - so we elected Queen Olive Us (All-Of-Us) to head up our chapter. And she's done an exceptional job of keeping us all connected, informed, and united for all these years.
Our group has changed and evolved, friends have left and new friends have joined. We've grown, we've shrunk, and we've grown again. We've laughed together, cried together, played together, prayed together, and made countless memories together. We've done so many really cool things . . . Everything from simple dinners, movies, and game days (much as we did before becoming Red Hatters) to experiencing God's amazing creation by strolling through flower fields and gardens, and enjoying weekends away at the seashore and in the mountains. We've seen plays, magic shows and concerts, we've shopped our way through craft shows and art fairs, we've bowled and golfed (miniature style), we've given back with various Outreach Projects and walked 5K's for Breast Cancer . . . And there's so much more . . . way too numerous to mention. It's fun to look back through the photos and stories on our website to relive some of these amazing experiences.
So in honor of our 10th Birthday, here's a little tribute to all the ladies who have meandered in and out of our little group of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . . . and here's looking forward to at least another TEN!!!
2005 - The Original F.R.I.E.N.D.S. of the Red Hat Kind
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Queen Olive Us |
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| Toni |
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| Kay S |
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| Kay M |
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| Dory |
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| Christina |
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| Bonnie |
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| Dolores |
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| Mary H |
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| Mary W |
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| Dawn |
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| Joy V |
And the only ones from the original group who are still in . . .
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| Carol N |
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| Joy N |
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| Sylvia |
2006 - We celebrated our 1st Birthday, and gained a few new F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . .
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1st Birthday Party
Front - Joy N, Bonnie, Shirley
Back - Toni, Dolores, Mary W, Kay S, Sylvia, Kay M, Christina, Joy V, Dory, Robin, Carol N |
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| Shirley |
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| Robin |
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| Nancy |
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| Debbie |
We also had our first Reduations! What fun to celebrate with our Pink Hatters as they reached the perfect age of 50 and earned their first Red Hats!
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| Mary W - in May |
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| Robin - in September |
2007 - Our 2nd Birthday . . .
This is the only year that we remained totally intact - no new friends joined, and no one left.
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2nd Birthday Party
By the Railing Going Up the Stairs - Carol N, Shirley, Dory, Robin, Joy V
By the Wall - Toni, Joy N, Mary H, Christina, Kay S, Dolores, Kay M, Debbie |
2008 - Our 3rd Birthday and more new F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . .
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3rd Birthday Party
Front - Carol N, Joy N, Shirley
Middle - Mary H, Toni, Allie, Christina, Robin
Back - Dolores, Annie, Tina, Sylvia, Marie, Kay S, Joy V |
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| Annie |
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| Marie |
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| Allie |
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| Tina |
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| Tammy |
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| Barbara G |
And we celebrated another Reduation . . .
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| Debbie - in July |
2009 - Our 4th Birthday and still more F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . .
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4th Birthday Party
Front - Joy V, Joy N, Carol N
Middle - Tammy, Tina, Marie, Sylvia
Back - Kay M, Susan, Robin, Christina, Debbie, Kay S, Annie, Mary H, Toni |
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| Susan |
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| Barbara W |
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| Sandra |
And a Double Reduation . . .
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| Joy V - in August |
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| Tammy - in August |
2010 - Our 5th Birthday and even more new F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . .
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5th Birthday Party
Front - Joy V, Debbie, Cathy
Middle - Bonnie, Robin, Dory, Sylvia, Carol N
Back - Tammy, Allie, Christina, Toni, Tina, Kay S, Joy N |
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| Cathy |
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| Shelley |
And another Reduation . . .
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| Christina in March |
2011 - Our 6th Birthday . . .
This year brought some sadness because quite a few of our original F.R.I.E.N.D.S. moved on to other things.
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6th Birthday Party
Front - Joy N, Bonnie, Bonnie's Mother-in-Law (Visitor), Carol N, Debbie
Back - Patty (Visitor), Shelley, Barbara G, Tina, Sylvia, Annie |
For a time our group was smaller, but then we grew again . . .
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| Carol L |
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| Seema |
2012 - Our 7th Birthday - We started out small . . .
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7th Birthday Party
Front - Marie, Joy N, Carol N, Bonnie
Back - Shelley, Debbie, Annie, Daniela, Tina |
But by the end of the year we had added six new F.R.I.E.N.D.S. . . .
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| Barbara L |
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| Daniela |
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| Iris |
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| Linda |
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| Sharon |
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| Leslie |
2013 - Our 8th Birthday . . . and another F.R.I.E.N.D. . . . .
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8th Birthday Party
Front - Carol N, Joy N
Middle - Sharon, Bonnie, Cathy, Shelley, Debbie
Back - Linda, Carol L, Tina, Annie, Seema, Iris |
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| Dixie |
2014 - 9th Birthday . . . Still growing . . .
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9th Birthday Party
Front - Linda, Debbie, Carol N, Sharon
Middle - Seema, Carol L, Barbara L, Chris
Back - Carol B, Robin, Joan, Tina, Iris, Annie, Sylvia, Joy N |
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| Chris |
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| Carol B |
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| Joan |
Now we are just a few days away from our 10th Birthday Party and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for our crazy little group of Red Hatters. Whatever it is, I'm certain it will be filled with good times, fun adventures, and most importantly, great F.R.I.E.N.D.S.!!! Can't wait!!!!
