Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

I can just hear the song playing in my head!

Anyway, we're off to there in alittle bit for our first Council of Governors. Emil gets instructions on his position. We'll also be meeting the rest of the Vice District Elects. Yesterday the Eye Foundation put on a tour and dinner for all of them, but not all came. I didn't make it to the tour since I had to work but did make the dinner. Met a few people and dinner was absolutely yummy!

We've already been invited to a cabinet meeting which is so exciting (did I say this already?) and hopefully, we can schedule someone to come to ours in August.

Pictures delay...

Well, I was going to do a slide show with the pictures from convention, but I'm still waiting for a set of pictures from one other camera. I already have about 450 photos, but I guess I'm slightly nerdy about having to wait for the other photos. There might be a better picture of something!



So here's a teaser. This is what Emil's goodie bag looked like. 300 of these puppies were made and given out. On the other side of the chocolate bar is a little ditty about how chocolate are actually vegetables (we all know how much Emil loves his veggies!).

I have a few people ask what goes on during convention. So let me tell you in a nutshell ( a big one, I think!).

We (the convention committee) goes up on Wednesday and meets with the hotel to finalize any last minute details and then we're free the rest of the day. Thursday, some people start coming in and the first event is a golf tournament, then a buffet dinner, normally bar-b-que with a short program, if any and again, free afterwards.

Friday our club is up making brandy flips around 8AM (or earlier, depending on the schedule), continental breakfast and the non-Lions have a coffee brunch with program (raffle prizes, too!) while the Lions attend the meetings. Luncheon honors the club presidents and the barbershop quartet contest. The meeting reconvenes and we have our seconds for nominations for Vice District Governor and Governor, reports on committess, and someone (a visiting Vice District Governor) gets to make a speech. Then we have our costume contest parade and the evening banquet (this year we dressed in costume), more speeches and awards given out. After this is all over, we have the amateur show and sometimes it's pretty funny, sometimes you wonder what was that! As if we didn't have enough to eat, at 11 PM, we have our grilled tube steaks (hot dogs!) outside. There's music and some people with more energy stay up late and dance and drink.

Saturday is gin fizzes made by another club around 8AM, then breakfast. We have our memorial service right after to remember our members who passed during the year. Then our tail twister (skits) and again, some are funny, some you scratch your head about. Meeting again, more speeches, year round contest awards are given out and more awards. During this meeting, most people skip out as they ready for the International Food Fair. This is great, as a bunch of clubs each have an item of food and get it ready, so by noon, we all wander around getting different foods. This year was sushi, pot stickers, fruit and nuts, nachos, pie, grilled corn, Chinese chicken salad to name a few. I didn't get to eat everything but each year I manage to get at least one ear of corn and sushi, if there's any. Afterwards, the awards for the contests that weekend are announced and alot of people disappear. Some have meetings to attend, some take a nap, some stay in the hospitality rooms (each club can have one if they choose) and chat and have a drink or two. Dinner is black tie optional, and more speeches (the visiting International Director) and the big awards are given out. This is the District Governor's swan song and last moment of glory, then he hands over the rest of the evening to the Vice District Govenor who announces/introduces their new cabinet. Music and dancing afterwards.

Sunday is continental breakfast and we all say our good-byes. The convention committee gets to stay behind for a post-convention meeting and discuss what went wrong and what went right during the weekend.

Whew! Told you it was a big nutshell! And that's if I didn't forget something!

Happy Birthday, Emil!

Here's the birthday boy giving his speech after being nominated at convention on Friday.

We have a dinner meeting tonight, but he'll have a cake there.

I'm waiting for the balance of the pictures so I can post our weekend at convention, so probably on Thursday it should be up.

Just another update....

to tell you there's no update yet.

We've been busy getting ready for convention, which starts for us on Wednesday. I picked up 10 programmable fans and programmed it to say "Vote for Emil" and "Emil for VDG" today. So, we leave bright and early (think work) except with a full car and picking up Harold. I think I'll just have enough room to sit (no wiggling) in the back seat... We meet with the rest of the committee at 11AM, have a bite to eat (hope the hotel provides us with a comped lunch like the other one did) dash over to Costco to pick up the water and chips for the goodie bags and spend the rest of the day filling the 300 bags and doing whatever else needs to be done to get ready for the rest of the people coming up the following day.

This year there won't be a scrapbook entry (don't ask!!!) but the rest of the time should be good or at least interesting, since this will be our first year back to this hotel since they've done remodeling and I'm pretty sure some of us are going to be playing things by ear.

We return on Sunday, Mother's Day (have no idea what my brothers are planning for Mom!) so guess we find out then, too.