Saturday, August 15th, 2009
At
Portage Lakes State Park
5031 Manchester Road
Akron, Ohio 44319-3999
The picnic will begin at 1:00 PM
We chose this location because it seemed more centralized for our group and it will also hold a large amount of people. While I have not yet personally been to this location, other people I know have and it seems like the perfect place for our group to enjoy a wonderful day together!
Our picnic will be held at the Big Oaks Shelter. I took these specific directions to the location of our shelter from the Portage Lakes Website:
BIG OAKS SHELTER -- PORTAGE LAKES ST. PK. 5031 MANCHESTER RD. AKRON, OH 44319. AS YOU COME IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE PARK OFF OF MANCHESTER RD. "BIG OAKS" IS THE FIRST ROAD TO THE RIGHT.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/2/parkmaps/portagelakesparkmap.pdf
As in the past, each family that attends will be asked to sign-up to bring something. I will be creating a list in the next week as the RSVP’s come in and e-mailing it to those who plan to attend. Things on this list will include side dishes, deserts, etc. I send the list to people in the order that I receive your RSVP. Those who RSVP the quickest get the list first. I decided last year this was the fairest way to do this. The past two years we have had hamburgers and hot dogs. This year we will be getting party platters of sandwiches instead. This is for several reasons. First, the group is getting so large that it is difficult to cook for the entire group. Secondly, I worry about our children playing around the hot grills.
The theme of the picnic this year is FIESTA! We have lots of fun activities and things planned for this year’s picnic and it will surely be an event to remember. A special addition to the picnic this year will be a table set up of goods from Guatemala that will be for sale. The group that NiCole, one of our group board members, contacted and is working with is called Maya Works and you can view the products, some of which will be available the day of the picnic, at www.mayaworks.org. This is a wonderful organization and I encourage you to look at their site!
The cost per family this year will be $20. This will help cover the rental fee, beverages, sandwich platters, tableware and all activities.
I know that we will all have a wonderful time together and that the kids will enjoy the day as much as us! I really enjoy planning these events and seeing the smiles on the children’s faces when we get together throughout the year. However, it really takes a lot of effort and time to plan these events. Therefore, it is really, really important that I hear back from you. Each of your names is on a list that I have created for this picnic. I will mark them appropriately with your response as soon as I hear from you. Whether you plan to come or not, I really need to know. If you are NOT sure if you will be attending, please let me know this as well. This helps me immensely when trying to gauge the funds for activities as well as how much tableware and food I will need to purchase. Please let me know your intentions by MONDAY, JULY 20th. I really appreciate your cooperation with this as I am sure you can truly understand the amount of time it takes to prepare such an event. All payments for the picnic should be sent to Gina Rihn, our group’s Vice President, NO LATER THAN JULY 31st. Please contact me so that I can give you the address as I do not want to post it online.
As always, if you for any reason do not think you can make this payment, please contact me. We do not want any family to not attend due to financial reasons. We want this to be a time where we can get together and celebrate in the joys of adoption and our children. Please let me know if you cannot pay the picnic fee as we still want you to attend!!!
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to e-mail or call me at anytime! I am so excited about the summer picnic and can’t wait for all the new memories to be made. We have many new families that have recently joined our group and I can’t wait to meet all of you! It’s going to be an awesome time and I hope to see all of you there!
Please copy and paste this and then send it my way!
____________ (YES/NO) WE WILL BE ATTENDING THE SUMMER PICNIC AND WE WILL HAVE _________CHILDREN AND ________ADULTS.
_________________________________________ FAMILY NAME
See You Soon,
Mindy Ousley
President, NEO Guatemalan Adoptive Families
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
Dear Families,
Spring is just around the corner (thankfully!) and that means Easter is coming! This year we will be having Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the same location as we did last year. Here is the information:
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
Quail Hollow State Park
Saturday, March 28
Time: 10:30 AM
13480 Congress Lake Ave.
Hartville, OH 44632
http://www.quailhollowpark.org/
Last year this event was a huge success. This event is put on with the help of the local drama department from the local high school. All proceeds from the event go directly towards the park. Just like last year, they have given us our own special time and private room for this event. The breakfast includes French Toast Stick and Sausage. They also will have an Easter Egg Hunt specifically set up for our group. The prices for this event have not been set but the coordinator said that it should be around $5 a person. I can tell you from last year this is a wonderful deal and it supports a great cause. We had such a fun time last year!!
If you would like to come to this event I need to you to please RSVP by Friday, March 6th. All RSVP’s MUST be received by this date in order to give them an accurate head count. Please understand that this is very important. Within the next week or so I will know the final cost per person and will e-mail all those attending with the form that must be filled out and sent to the park. This form will include your family’s payment. NO PAYMENTS FOR THIS EVENT WILL BE MADE TO ME! All payments will be sent directly to the State Park and specific directions for that will follow soon.
I really hope that you will come and join us for a fun-filled morning! The kids really enjoyed seeing the Easter Bunny last year and the Easter Egg Hunt was so much fun.
Please RSVP the following information if you plan on attending:
FAMILY NAME________________________________
ADULTS ______________________________________
CHILDREN____________________________________
Thank you so much and I hope to see you all in a few short weeks! As always, please contact me if you have any questions at all!
Mindy Ousley
Spring is just around the corner (thankfully!) and that means Easter is coming! This year we will be having Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the same location as we did last year. Here is the information:
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
Quail Hollow State Park
Saturday, March 28
Time: 10:30 AM
13480 Congress Lake Ave.
Hartville, OH 44632
http://www.quailhollowpark.org/
Last year this event was a huge success. This event is put on with the help of the local drama department from the local high school. All proceeds from the event go directly towards the park. Just like last year, they have given us our own special time and private room for this event. The breakfast includes French Toast Stick and Sausage. They also will have an Easter Egg Hunt specifically set up for our group. The prices for this event have not been set but the coordinator said that it should be around $5 a person. I can tell you from last year this is a wonderful deal and it supports a great cause. We had such a fun time last year!!
If you would like to come to this event I need to you to please RSVP by Friday, March 6th. All RSVP’s MUST be received by this date in order to give them an accurate head count. Please understand that this is very important. Within the next week or so I will know the final cost per person and will e-mail all those attending with the form that must be filled out and sent to the park. This form will include your family’s payment. NO PAYMENTS FOR THIS EVENT WILL BE MADE TO ME! All payments will be sent directly to the State Park and specific directions for that will follow soon.
I really hope that you will come and join us for a fun-filled morning! The kids really enjoyed seeing the Easter Bunny last year and the Easter Egg Hunt was so much fun.
Please RSVP the following information if you plan on attending:
FAMILY NAME________________________________
ADULTS ______________________________________
CHILDREN____________________________________
Thank you so much and I hope to see you all in a few short weeks! As always, please contact me if you have any questions at all!
Mindy Ousley
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Valentine's Day Event
Dear families,
I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you are all enjoying the New Year! As a group we have many new and exciting things in the works for 2009. We are planning for this to be our best year ever and we are so thankful for all our wonderful families that make up the NEO group! It’s been amazing for me to watch this group grow since its beginning and to see all of our beautiful children become friends. I hope that you enjoy the time you spend at our events and that you have been able to make lasting friendships.
We have decided to have a Valentine’s Day Playdate this year. We are trying to have events every two months throughout the year and so this will be a new tradition starting this year. Our Valentine’s Day event will be:
Saturday, February 7th
At
Chuck E Cheese in Belden Village
6370 Strip Ave. NW
Canton, OH 44720
(330) 494-7140
We will be meeting at 11:30 AM in order to avoid arriving during the lunch rush.
We have been in contact with them and because we are not yet a non-profit organization we were not able to reserve the private areas. This means that each family will have to find their own table. We are hoping to be able to get our tables close together but with the atmosphere of Chuck E Cheese, most children and families will be playing most of the time. It is important, however, if you want to come that you arrive promptly in order to obtain a table since we cannot make reservations.
We will be providing cake for all the families and children that day. We are also having a Valentines Exchange for the children. Bags will be provided for the children. Please bring a Valentine and/or small treat to put in a bag for each child that attends. I also wanted to make all of you aware that we have 2 children who have nut allergies. Please keep that in mind if you purchase candy for the childrenJ A week before the scheduled event I will contact all the people attending with a final children headcount so that you can plan your cards and/or treats accordingly.
It will be the responsibility of each family attending to purchase their food and game tokens. If you would like to contribute $1 or $2 towards the purchase of the cake, cake plates, napkins, bags, etc. that we will be providing we would appreciate it. However, this is NOT required of you.
This is sure to be a really fun day for our families and I am looking forward to seeing all of you again! As always, please feel free to contact me at any time by either e-mail or phone if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Please RSVP to me by January 28th so that we have time to buy the things necessary for this event. You can RSVP by copying and pasting the following section of this e-mail and sending it to me.
Yes, my family will be attending!
______________________________________
Family Name
______________________________________
Number of children AND children’s names
Thank you everyone for helping make the group so wonderful and I hope to see you in a few short weeks to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you are all enjoying the New Year! As a group we have many new and exciting things in the works for 2009. We are planning for this to be our best year ever and we are so thankful for all our wonderful families that make up the NEO group! It’s been amazing for me to watch this group grow since its beginning and to see all of our beautiful children become friends. I hope that you enjoy the time you spend at our events and that you have been able to make lasting friendships.
We have decided to have a Valentine’s Day Playdate this year. We are trying to have events every two months throughout the year and so this will be a new tradition starting this year. Our Valentine’s Day event will be:
Saturday, February 7th
At
Chuck E Cheese in Belden Village
6370 Strip Ave. NW
Canton, OH 44720
(330) 494-7140
We will be meeting at 11:30 AM in order to avoid arriving during the lunch rush.
We have been in contact with them and because we are not yet a non-profit organization we were not able to reserve the private areas. This means that each family will have to find their own table. We are hoping to be able to get our tables close together but with the atmosphere of Chuck E Cheese, most children and families will be playing most of the time. It is important, however, if you want to come that you arrive promptly in order to obtain a table since we cannot make reservations.
We will be providing cake for all the families and children that day. We are also having a Valentines Exchange for the children. Bags will be provided for the children. Please bring a Valentine and/or small treat to put in a bag for each child that attends. I also wanted to make all of you aware that we have 2 children who have nut allergies. Please keep that in mind if you purchase candy for the childrenJ A week before the scheduled event I will contact all the people attending with a final children headcount so that you can plan your cards and/or treats accordingly.
It will be the responsibility of each family attending to purchase their food and game tokens. If you would like to contribute $1 or $2 towards the purchase of the cake, cake plates, napkins, bags, etc. that we will be providing we would appreciate it. However, this is NOT required of you.
This is sure to be a really fun day for our families and I am looking forward to seeing all of you again! As always, please feel free to contact me at any time by either e-mail or phone if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Please RSVP to me by January 28th so that we have time to buy the things necessary for this event. You can RSVP by copying and pasting the following section of this e-mail and sending it to me.
Yes, my family will be attending!
______________________________________
Family Name
______________________________________
Number of children AND children’s names
Thank you everyone for helping make the group so wonderful and I hope to see you in a few short weeks to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas Party :-)
It was a great time! The pictures are on my blog:
www.theousleyfamily.blogspot.com
Thanks everyone for making this such a fun time!
Mindy
www.theousleyfamily.blogspot.com
Thanks everyone for making this such a fun time!
Mindy
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Christmas Party Info!!!
2nd Annual Guatemalan Adoptive Families Christmas Party
It’s almost here! And I could NOT be more excited! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love it. The snow, the decorations, the festive mood, and most importantly…the CHILDREN!
Here is the information for the upcoming party:
Saturday, December 6th 2008
At
Massillon Recreation Center
1:00 – 4:00
505 Erie St. North
Massillon, OH 44646
Please join us for lots of food and fun!
We will have a full lunch, gifts and crafts for the children, and of course Santa will be making his appearance again this year!
There will be two OPTIONAL gift exchanges:
ADULT EXCHANGE – Please bring a Christmas kitchen towel for this exchange.
ORNAMENT EXCHANGE – Please bring a NON-gender CHILDREN’S Christmas ornament for this exchange.
Both items should be wrappedJ
Cost per family this year will be $30.
I have had significant problems in the past with people RSVP’ing and following through with payment. Therefore for this event there will be stricter rules regarding this. You must RSVP to me that you are coming by:
NOVEMBER 21, 2008
and ALL payments MUST be received by:
NOVEMBER 26, 2008
Please understand that up until payments are received that all purchases come out of my pocket. Please note that if your RSVP is not received by NOVEMBER 21st that you will not be able to attend. It is crucial that I have the final guest count for food and other purchases by this date. If you need additional time to send in the payment please just contact me personally. As always, I do NOT want people to not come because of financial reasons so if this is the case for your family I completely understand and you just need to contact meJ So make sure you write down the above dates!
In past events, there have always been two or three of us willing to set-up and clean-up. I really need more people to volunteer to do this. Please remember we are ALL a part of this awesome group and your help is needed.
I also need several people to volunteer to bring Christmas cookies to the party. Please do NOT bring more then 2 dozen cookies as we had a lot of left-overs last year. I would really appreciate you taking the time to bake some cookies for the party. There is nothing better then Christmas cookies!!
Lastly, I wanted to give everyone a quick update on our Guatemalan Sponsorship Students Pedro and Ana. They are doing wonderful! Believe it or not, it is time to renew our sponsorship for them because in Guatemala students begin school in January, not August like they do here. They just finished up their school year in October. In order to renew their sponsorships so that they can continue to attend school, we need to raise $300 between all of us. It is also a Guatemalan Tradition for families in Guatemala to eat tamales at Christmas. However, our families cannot afford the things necessary to enjoy this tradition. For $30 a family we can order a Tamale Basket for our families that will be delivered to them along with a wrapped Christmas gift. Therefore, I would really like to see us raise $360 in order to do the baskets for our families as well. Please do not feel that you have to donate to this cause, this is and always will be optional.
So here is what I need from you!! I need to you to e-mail me back to let me know if you do intend to come by NOVEMBER 21st. This year I will not being handling the money as I have delegated some of the tasks in getting these events together to other members of our group. Your payments will be sent to our Vice-President, Gina Rihn.
Please print the section at the bottom of this e-mail and return it with your payment.
Thank you for your understanding and I can’t wait to see all of you!! I know it will be another awesome time and I am looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful children share in the beauty of the holidays. Christmas is such a magical time and I love that we get to spend part of that time together celebrating in the joys of our children. I will see you all soon and as always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a safe and wonderful upcoming holiday season!
It’s almost here! And I could NOT be more excited! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love it. The snow, the decorations, the festive mood, and most importantly…the CHILDREN!
Here is the information for the upcoming party:
Saturday, December 6th 2008
At
Massillon Recreation Center
1:00 – 4:00
505 Erie St. North
Massillon, OH 44646
Please join us for lots of food and fun!
We will have a full lunch, gifts and crafts for the children, and of course Santa will be making his appearance again this year!
There will be two OPTIONAL gift exchanges:
ADULT EXCHANGE – Please bring a Christmas kitchen towel for this exchange.
ORNAMENT EXCHANGE – Please bring a NON-gender CHILDREN’S Christmas ornament for this exchange.
Both items should be wrappedJ
Cost per family this year will be $30.
I have had significant problems in the past with people RSVP’ing and following through with payment. Therefore for this event there will be stricter rules regarding this. You must RSVP to me that you are coming by:
NOVEMBER 21, 2008
and ALL payments MUST be received by:
NOVEMBER 26, 2008
Please understand that up until payments are received that all purchases come out of my pocket. Please note that if your RSVP is not received by NOVEMBER 21st that you will not be able to attend. It is crucial that I have the final guest count for food and other purchases by this date. If you need additional time to send in the payment please just contact me personally. As always, I do NOT want people to not come because of financial reasons so if this is the case for your family I completely understand and you just need to contact meJ So make sure you write down the above dates!
In past events, there have always been two or three of us willing to set-up and clean-up. I really need more people to volunteer to do this. Please remember we are ALL a part of this awesome group and your help is needed.
I also need several people to volunteer to bring Christmas cookies to the party. Please do NOT bring more then 2 dozen cookies as we had a lot of left-overs last year. I would really appreciate you taking the time to bake some cookies for the party. There is nothing better then Christmas cookies!!
Lastly, I wanted to give everyone a quick update on our Guatemalan Sponsorship Students Pedro and Ana. They are doing wonderful! Believe it or not, it is time to renew our sponsorship for them because in Guatemala students begin school in January, not August like they do here. They just finished up their school year in October. In order to renew their sponsorships so that they can continue to attend school, we need to raise $300 between all of us. It is also a Guatemalan Tradition for families in Guatemala to eat tamales at Christmas. However, our families cannot afford the things necessary to enjoy this tradition. For $30 a family we can order a Tamale Basket for our families that will be delivered to them along with a wrapped Christmas gift. Therefore, I would really like to see us raise $360 in order to do the baskets for our families as well. Please do not feel that you have to donate to this cause, this is and always will be optional.
So here is what I need from you!! I need to you to e-mail me back to let me know if you do intend to come by NOVEMBER 21st. This year I will not being handling the money as I have delegated some of the tasks in getting these events together to other members of our group. Your payments will be sent to our Vice-President, Gina Rihn.
Please print the section at the bottom of this e-mail and return it with your payment.
Thank you for your understanding and I can’t wait to see all of you!! I know it will be another awesome time and I am looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful children share in the beauty of the holidays. Christmas is such a magical time and I love that we get to spend part of that time together celebrating in the joys of our children. I will see you all soon and as always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a safe and wonderful upcoming holiday season!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Christmas Party....
Final plans for the Christmas party will be coming out in the next few days...check your e-mail! Can't wait to see you there!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Boo at the Zoo CLEVELAND!!!
The date will be:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24th
CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO
ADMISSION:
$6 FOR ADULTS (12 and over) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29TH AND $7 AFTER THIS DATE
$6 FOR CHILDREN (2-12) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29TH AND $7 AFTER THIS DATE
CHILDREN UNDER TWO ARE FREE
TIME: 5:30 – 8:30 PM
We will meet at the FRONT ENTRANCE BY THE GROUP MEMBERSHIP BOOTH. Once we all go into the Zoo we will head over to the food area for dinner. You can buy your food there or feel free to pack a dinner. There is a McDonalds and Pizza Hut I know for sure.
Here is the link to the page that talks about the event and also leads you through online purchases of tickets: http://www.clemetzoo.com/events/event.asp?event_id=7
Due to the fact that our group has ENORMOUSLY grown, we will not be purchasing tickets for everyone this year. It will be up to each individual family to purchase their tickets for this event. You can do this by either picking up your tickets at the box office at the Cleveland Zoo or ordering them online. I have attended Boo at the Cleveland Zoo countless times and I can tell you that it DOES sell out typically for every night. It is VITAL that your order your tickets well in advance and NOT purchase them the night of. I would hate to see families drive to Cleveland without tickets only to be turned away because the event has sold out. So PLEASE get your tickets soon. They are $1 cheaper if they are bought in September and the website will walk you through the online purchase process.
Even though I will not be buying the tickets for the group, I still would like to know who is planning on attending and who is not. So please e-mail me if you intend on coming that night OR leave a comment on this blog. Make sure to put WHO you are:-) THANK YOU!
I can’t wait to see all our little ones dressed up and ready for Halloween! It’s just around the corner! See everyone soonJ
Copy and paste this portion and please e-mail it back to me ONLY IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND:
YES! My family will be attending the event and we will have _____ adults and ______ children. (PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR NAME TOO)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24th
CLEVELAND METROPARKS ZOO
ADMISSION:
$6 FOR ADULTS (12 and over) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29TH AND $7 AFTER THIS DATE
$6 FOR CHILDREN (2-12) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29TH AND $7 AFTER THIS DATE
CHILDREN UNDER TWO ARE FREE
TIME: 5:30 – 8:30 PM
We will meet at the FRONT ENTRANCE BY THE GROUP MEMBERSHIP BOOTH. Once we all go into the Zoo we will head over to the food area for dinner. You can buy your food there or feel free to pack a dinner. There is a McDonalds and Pizza Hut I know for sure.
Here is the link to the page that talks about the event and also leads you through online purchases of tickets: http://www.clemetzoo.com/events/event.asp?event_id=7
Due to the fact that our group has ENORMOUSLY grown, we will not be purchasing tickets for everyone this year. It will be up to each individual family to purchase their tickets for this event. You can do this by either picking up your tickets at the box office at the Cleveland Zoo or ordering them online. I have attended Boo at the Cleveland Zoo countless times and I can tell you that it DOES sell out typically for every night. It is VITAL that your order your tickets well in advance and NOT purchase them the night of. I would hate to see families drive to Cleveland without tickets only to be turned away because the event has sold out. So PLEASE get your tickets soon. They are $1 cheaper if they are bought in September and the website will walk you through the online purchase process.
Even though I will not be buying the tickets for the group, I still would like to know who is planning on attending and who is not. So please e-mail me if you intend on coming that night OR leave a comment on this blog. Make sure to put WHO you are:-) THANK YOU!
I can’t wait to see all our little ones dressed up and ready for Halloween! It’s just around the corner! See everyone soonJ
Copy and paste this portion and please e-mail it back to me ONLY IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND:
YES! My family will be attending the event and we will have _____ adults and ______ children. (PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR NAME TOO)
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