Grand Session Day 2

On Friday morning, the girls attended a meeting of the Grand Bethel, while the adults met with the Grand Council to elect new officers and consider bylaw changes.

After lunch, the girls went to a nearby Outlet mall to do some shopping.

In the evening, we had the task of putting up "stars" for every organization that provided donations for the dessert at which the results of the competitions would be announced.

Susan won several awards for promotional materials she has created in the past year.Our girls won lots of awards, including ones in baking, photography, and ritual. We were very proud, especially since this was the first Grand Session six of them had ever attended. The Bethel won second place in the choir competition. Jennifer won sweepstakes for ritual and photography.

Grand Session Day 1

This weekend, Jennifer and I attended our first Job's Daughters Grand Session, where members from all over a state meet to chose new officers and compete in arts and crafts, baking, sewing, performing arts, writing, and ritual (Susan had attended them as a girl in California). We took eight daughters of our Bethel. Here are seven of them just before the formal opening banquet on Thursday. This year Grand Session was held at a hotel in Keizer, just north of Salem.

Later, our girls sang a song during the formal opening of Grand Session. There were many leaders of the Masonic family present. Two of our girls are in robes because they were officers of the Grand Bethel.

Jennifer made the Supreme Ritual team. She will be traveling to Indiana to compete at the Supreme Session later this summer. We were very proud.

Here are most of the girls after the opening. Our past Honored Queen and Grand Bethel officer is modeling the crown of a past Grand Royal Matron of the Order of Amaranth.

Rodeo

Last Friday, the kids attended the Sisters Rodeo with some friends.

On Saturday, we drove up to Gresham for Bethel 19's installation.

This Saturday we attended, along with some of the Bethel girls, a special picnic the Masons held for their Bikes for Books program.

We then drove down to Coos Bay for installation of Bethel 17. Bryan helped some DeMolay there form an arch of steel for the ceremony. 

On Sunday Jennifer's Girl Scout troop visited the Capitol building in Salem. Today they spent time at Thrill-ville south of Salem.

Bethel Installations

 

On Saturday, Bethel 11 held its summer installation. Bryan helped the DeMolay State Officers perform the Rose Ceremony for the incoming Honored Queen. 

Yesterday we drove to Tigard to attend Bethel 66's installation. Bryan again helped the DeMolay with a Rose Ceremony. 

In May, Bryan helped his troop with an Eagle Scout project on Tumalo Creek near Tumalo Falls.

And Jennifer went to Salem with some of the Bethel girls for a ball honoring Miss Oregon Job's Daughters.

Boy Scout update

 

Bryan continues to be active with his Boy Scout troop. Last month, they backpacked up to Fuzztail Butte, south of Bend.

 

Last week was Court of Honor. Bryan advanced to Scout First Class.

 

This weekend he attended an Advancement Outing. His troop camped east of Bend.

While Susan took some of the Bethel girls to Tillamook, where they went to the beach and visited with some of the girls from the local Rainbow Assembly.They stayed the night at the Tillamook Lodge.

DeMolay-Job's Daughters-Rainbow

This weekend we took the Bethel over to Salem for the annual DJR statewide initiation. Members of the Masonic Youth groups from all over Oregon meet and each group performs an initiation. In the evening the groups get together for a dance and talent show.

This year Bryan was old enough to be initiated into DeMolay. He met the current International Master Councilor, who is from Oregon. Unfortunately Bend's DeMolay chapter, Pilgrim, is not currently active.

Last month we took some of the Bethel to the Supreme Visit in Gresham. Oregon Job's Daughters just reopened an old Bethel, Gresham 19, and the Supreme Guardian and others came out to participate.

Jennifer enjoyed meeting the Miss International Job's Daughters, as well as other members of the Supreme delegation.

Last day

On our last day at the Disneyland Resort, we checked out of the hotel and went to early entry at Disneyland. During early entry, the rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open an hour before the rest of the park. Once the rest of the park opened, we rode some of the things in Frontierland, Adventureland, and New Orleans Square that we hadn't done yet. It was another beautiful day, although Disneyland was fairly crowded for a weekday in February.

In the afternoon, we spent a lot of time talking to several members of the Dream Squad about how the "Year of a Million Dreams" giveaway worked, about stuff around the resort, and about life in general. They were all really nice. 

In the evening, we headed north toward home, stopping for the night at Kettleman City. The last day of our trip was spent driving. And driving. We left Kettleman City about 9 am, and drove for almost 11 hours straight. After getting stuck for almost an hour in a traffic in Sacramento, we decided not to stop for lunch, and arrived home in the evening. During our trip, we had visited 14 states, driven over 10,000 miles, and completed over 40 Junior Ranger programs. We’ve now been in 44 states.