FRIDAY SNAPS

BBRC Exchange Student Activities

Our Chilean exchange student, Claudia Rodríguez, attended the Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers football game on December 5th with Paul Chapman and his step-daughter Kate.

PROGRAM

Collector's Edition: 2010 Annual Holiday Breakfast

The melodic sounds of a flute and piano duet greeted members and their guests as they arrived for the 2010 Family Holiday Breakfast. The Glendale Country Club never looked better, as Wayne McCaulley and Anna Cummins received the guests into a meeting room resplendent with festive red table covers and a towering 20-foot tree.

The buffet breakfast was cruise ship status worthy, as the normal fare was supplemented with extra goodies, a gingerbread house, and carved fruit offerings. The visions, aromas, and sounds created an ambiance that gave one pause at the head of the line to reflect upon our many blessings and give thanks for this wonderful day.

Our master of ceremonies was Past President Jim Zidar, who called the meeting to order with the help of one of cutest grandchildren on the planet. (But, aren't they all cute?)

Wayne McCaulley was called upon for the invocation which came from a very thin book of "Irish Wit and Wisdom."

May there always be work for your hands to do.

May your purse always hold a coin or two.

May the sun always shine on your window pane.

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

May God fill your heart with gladness and cheer.

The introduction of visitors and guess would have consumed the better part of the morning, so Anna was given a pass.

Family Thoughts
This being the annual Family Breakfast it is only appropriate that some of the BBRC members and their children touch us with their thoughts on the meaning of the holidays.

Morris and Danielle Kremen: "For me, the Holidays are a time for family and giving, but that is not all; the Holidays are also a time to think about what you have and how much others need."

Jonathan and Theodore Koshar: "The best part of the holidays is sharing them with family and friends and those friends who traveled all the way from Seattle at this hour. And, anyone who flew here from Florida and put up with TSA and a coach seat deserve extra credit." Jonathan then turned to a woman at his table and said," I love you, Mom."

Mike and Lauren Ralph: Lauren went first: "Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day."

Mike added an observation made by Bob Hope: "My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?"

Tim & Colin Moriarty: "Christmas is a time to be with family and share the spirit of the season, and also to celebrate with extended family you gain being a member of Rotary. Our children look forward to the annual Santa breakfast. They have attended for the past eight years and we cherish these memories."

Staff Recognition
The BBRC gives thanks to the Glendale staff every year at the holiday breakfast. The first BBRC meeting at Glendale was in July of 1999, so the club has held 530 quality meetings in this facility. This would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of the Glendale staff.

This year, it was an honor bestowed on our Club Administrator, Sayoko Kuwahara, to present gifts of appreciation to the staff members. We give thanks to Marianne Johns, Josh Holmes, Frank Heilman, Francisco Hernandez, Enrique Ramirez, Roberto Valtierra, Mario Zapata, and Nancy Nguyen.

The Gathering of the Children

Eric Ode, a one-man, one-cat band took the center of the room and it was time for the squirming and fidgety children to gather for some very animated Christmas songs. From "How do I Send Thee," "Wa do ya want fir Christmas," "Frosty the Snowman," "Jingle Bells" and, for the second year in a row, a surprise appearance of Scratchy, an orange cat who appears to be a more benevolent relative of the Grinch.

Eric's last song with the children was "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," and what do you imagine happened? The jolly ol' guy appeared as if by magic. Actually Santa appeared to be very well versed in time travel, for he appeared as his younger more agile self, sort of a "Metro Claus." And then, also as if by magic, an elf, played by Claudia Rodriguez, appeared with a large gift bag and allowed Santa to hand out a variety of stuffed toys and age-specific gifts, as he held each child on his knee. Good job, Santa!

(Editor's Note: Santa's lead-off question, "What did your mother tell you not to say?" was met with a stony silence by the first child. Way to go, kids!)

Special thanks to the Social Committee, Wendi Fischer, Sayoko Kuwahara (flutist), Eric Ode (piano), Claudia Rodrigues (elf), and Michel Carter (Metro Claus) for making this such an anticipated and special meeting.

Web Fun

Sears: Holiday shopping this year.
Courtesy of Phil Salvatori

I know I needed this reminder, since Sears isn't always my first choice. It's amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and Sears hasn't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up for active duty.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.

I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears at least once, and be sure to find a manager to tell him/her why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement and feedback it well deserves.

Verified with snopes.com:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp