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Showing posts from January, 2012
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Cuddle Club - After passing a background check, then a urine drug screen test I received a Cuddle Club Volunteer Badge from the Women's Renaissance Hospital in Edinburg ( about 20 minute drive from our park). This idea came from a lady in our park who was delivering knitted premie hats to the nursery in this hospital and the coordinator at the hospital asked if she was there for the "Cuddle Club" - to hold and rock babies in the nursery. She told us about that and I said if she would like to do that, I was interested too. So now there are 8 ladies involved. 4 of us did our first shift last Wednesday evening from 5 to 8 PM. In the time we were in the nursery there, 5 babies were born. The moms are only in for about 24 to 36 hours after a natural birth and 2 d ays for a C-Section. So we got to hold brand new babies - feed some. All the mom's rooms are private. There are about 500 babies born each year in this hospital. It is a real privilege to hold these beautiful newb
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January 18 to 28/2012 It has been a busy 10 days. We enjoyed a Dinner Theatre on the 20th that was put on by the talented McAllen High School Choir students (20 of them). Their program was called "I Walk with Music" - a tribute to the music of Hoagy Carmicheal ( a Jazz musician/songwriter born in 1899). Some of Hoagy's hits were "Georgia On My Mind" and "Star Dust". The dinner and show took place in a church hall which was decorated in the school colors of purple and gold - including satin chair covers and gold presentation plates. The catered chicken dinner was served by students. The choir boys wore tuxedos and the choir girls wore an assortment of fancy formal purple gowns. On Sunday the 20th I took 2 lovely older widow ladies from the park out for lunch and then to the South Texas Museum in Edinburg to listen to an author who wrote a book of short stories on the famous King Ranch of Texas. She wasn't very interesting but a generous patron of th
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Update for Jan 18/12 So from the last entry we have to catch up on a few things. We went to a dinner theatre in Alamo one night put on by the Halbrook Family - 2 adult sons playing guitar and banjo accompanying their mother and a few others. Mother cooked the chicken dinner - couldn't recommend the dinner or show and if we had driven ourselves to the event we would have left but we were with the Wilder Bus - from our park. It was a painful event best forgotten - no pictures either. I did a Guided Bird Walk at the Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge that is about 9 miles south of our park and borders on the Rio Grande River. It was Winter Texan Appreciation Day so there was no admission and free draws - I was lucky to win a beautiful butterfly mug. Also enjoyed a fun 90 minute presentation by Luciano Guerra - a nature photographer who does Birdwatching "Texas" Style - just google his name to find out more. On Sunday, January 15/12 I drove a few ladies to see the Mariachi A
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Saturday, Jan. 7/12 Happy 2012! Check out the beautiful Christmas display at the Catholic Basilica nearby - "Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle National Shrine". Check out www.sanjuanbasilica.org for more info. We celebrated the New Year quietly but the surrounding neighbourhood doesn't. The Texans seem to love fireworks. The booms start at Christmas and continue to New Years. There is a frenzie of booms as soon as dark comes on New Years Eve and you would think war broke out by midnite! We thought maybe fireworks were inexpensive here but that isn't true either? Now the first week of 2012 is over. I have been busy teaching exercises classes - mat class on Tuesday morning, 30 minute low impact class on Wednesday morning and a combined low impact/mat class on Thursday morning. The lady who regularly leads the 1 PM aquacize class was away this week so she asked me to fill in so I did that 30 minute class every day this week too. Monday morning I go out for a