Christmas Party

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  And we are gathering at Queen Leslie's house to eat, play and be merry.

The Red Hatters have arrived!

First things first (as always) . . . . F.O.O.D!

Everything looks SOOOO delish!

And it was.  Empty plates and full tummies!
And lots of laughs and crazy conversations.  

Next we moved into the family room for our gift exchange . . .

Pretty Tree.  Pretty Gifts.
Wonder what's under all those pretty wrappings???

Barbara had a really special gift for Dixie . . . .

Such a beautiful and meaningful cross.

Then came the silly draw-a-number, choose-a-gift, and then someone steals it game.  When all the dust settled, we were all really happy with our gifts . . . 

L-R: Debbie, Carol L, Leslie, Barbara, Dixie, Chris, Joy

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching Christmas movies and enjoying each other's company.

And of course, remembering the real reason for the season . . .

Happy Birthday Jesus

Another year of fun and friendship . . . . Looking forward to 2017 and all the adventures we'll have together and all the memories we'll make.  Merry Christmas F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Operation Christmas Child Warehouse

Once again we are at the Operation Christmas Child Warehouse in Irvine to help inspect and carton shoeboxes before they are shipped off to children all over the world.  This is always such a fun and rewarding experience, and seeing how many shoeboxes go through just this one warehouse in just one day never ceases to be amazing.  Multiply that by the 23 days during which the processing takes place, and then multiply again by the 8 processing centers around just our country, and the number of shoeboxes is incredible.  Can you picture the smiling faces of the millions of children who will receive these special gifts?

Operation Christmas Child

Each shoebox has quite a journey ahead of it . . . 

Journey of a Shoebox

As always, we went through the training session before being assigned to our work station.  Our group was on the small side, so we were teamed up with a group of teenagers from Northern California.  It was fun but definitely a challenge to keep up with them and match their energy.

Our Workstation

We changed jobs around a bit this year . . .

Chris started the process by opening each shoebox and
removing the envelope containing the money for shipping

The teenagers then checked each shoebox to be sure there were no unauthorized items, such as glass, liquids, food, etc.

Next it was Joy's job to circle each box with a band of tape, making sure it doesn't come open during shipment.  (Oops, we forgot to take a photo of her in action.)

Debbie and Carol L then sorted the shoeboxes by boy/girl and age group,
and put them into the appropriate shipping carton. 
They also scanned any box with a "Follow Your Box" label,
so the donor would know what country their shoebox went to.

Dixie and Anita worked in another area of the warehouse,
rolling T-shirts and other items that could be added into
the shoeboxes where a  "little something" was needed to fill empty space.

This year there was something new to add into every shoebox . . .

A wonderful message of salvation

Just a tiny peak at how large the warehouse is and how many people
volunteer on each shift.  

Somewhere in the middle of our shift, we were dismissed to take a break . . . It was nice to sit down and relax for a few minutes and nibble on some snacks . . .

Break Time

No evening at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center is complete without a photo by the beautiful Christmas tree . . .

Debbie, Carol L, Chris, Joy, Dixie, Anita

What a blessing to be just a small part of this amazing operation every year.  It might even be more of a gift to us than it is to the children who receive the boxes . . . How fun it would be to actually be there when the boxes are handed out . . .  To see something like this . . .

Just look at the huge smiles and excitement on those beautiful faces.

Thanks, Queen Debbie, for organizing our outreach projects.  It's the best part of our year!

Movie & Dinner Day

Every now and again, it's good to have a simple day together - a day that doesn't require big plans, reservations, or even cleaning anyone's house. Just an easy, relaxed afternoon, seeing a movie and then enjoying a meal.  And that's exactly what today's event was all about.

We met at our favorite movie theatre . . .

Harkins Theatre

to see . . . 

Hacksaw Ridge

What a great movie . . . Directed by Mel Gibson, it is the extraordinary true story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing a gun. Believing that the War was just but killing was nevertheless wrong, he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon. As an army medic, Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded near enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He was the first conscientious objector to ever win the Congressional Medal of Honor.  We really enjoyed the movie, even though it had us jumping out of our seats several times.

After the movie, we headed over to the new Olive Garden on Grand for a yummy dinner.  It was such a nice evening, we sat outside on the patio.  Great food.  Great conversation.  Great friends.  Even though we were a tiny group, we had a huge amount of fun.

Chris, Joy & Leslie

Mission Inn History Under the Stars Tour

This evening we went to the Mission Inn in Riverside for dinner and a History Under the Stars Tour where we will get to hear stories about the Mission Inn and walk through some of the areas that most people never see.

Mission Inn

At this time of year, the Inn is beautifully decorated for Fall -
but we can see that the extensive process of decorating for Christmas has already begun

A peak at some of the Christmas lights

The Mission Inn was a dream come true for founder and builder Frank A. Miller . . .

Frank A. Miller, Founder of the Mission Inn

Close Up of the Plaque Below the Statue

Mr. Miller had two beautiful macaws, Napoleon and Joseph, who lived at the inn for many years and greeted many famous guests, including President William Howard Taft, Henry Ford, Teddy Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein.  Napoleon's name came from the blue and gold plumage that resembled the uniform worn by Emperor Napoleon.  Joseph's "coat of many colors" earned him his name.  The tradition lives on . . .

Meet Napoleon and Josephine

Our evening began with dinner in the Mission Inn Dining Room . . .

Here we are about to enter the Mission Inn on our way to dinner
L-R - Dixie, Debbie, Barbara, Seema, Leslie, Chris, Sharon, Joy

Entrance to the Dining Room

Our Dinner Menu

Ready to eat!!!

The desserts were amazing -
Creme Brulee and New York Cheesecake
Which to choose????

After dinner, we met our guide and started our tour of the Inn, beginning in the Formal Dining Room, beautifully decorated and filled with gorgeous works of art.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's just a sample of the beauty of the Mission Inn . . .

Some of the rooms circle around this gorgeous indoor/outdoor area -
This is the view from the bottom looking up

The Mission Inn Logo

And from the top looking down.

View at the top - the honeymoon suite is under that dome

We got to go inside some of the special suites, including this one that was enjoyed by many famous people including the Kennedy's . . .

It was an absolutely gorgeous night, and we really enjoyed the views from the roof, both overlooking other sections of the hotel and the area in general.

Construction on the Inn continued for many decades and the architecture
reflects many different styles.

View of the interior courtyard of the inn from the roof

Look at that beautiful full moon 

Looking down into the courtyard

And the chapel

Just to the right of the chapel is the
Famous Fliers Wall which honors
special airmen and airwomen from around the world

Famous Fliers Wall

Entering the Chapel

The chapel is small but very beautiful and ornate
This is the view from back to front

And from front to back

A closer look at the alter at the front

Stained Glass Window

Group Photo in front of the alter

Check out these super tall entry doors

Would you have guessed there is a normal
size hidden door?

Queen Debbie

Thanks Queen Debbie for arranging this really interesting and fun evening for us.  We all had a great time and we learned a lot!  Can't wait for our next adventure.