Unit 9 Happy Hour
Happy Unit Nine members
Scott Baker
On Nov. 11 Unit Nine held another successful Happy Hour at the Vistas Dining Room at SaddleBrooke One. More than 50 members participated in the event, enjoying good meals, festive drinks, and comradery. It was a great time to reconnect with many returning “snowbirds” and chat about holiday plans.
Christmas in Unit 15
Photo by Rita Fletcher
Rita Fletcher
Gathering together is always a fun and informative experience when it comes to getting to know neighbors who quickly become friends at these fun events. Celebrating Christmas was enjoyed by each attendee. Whether you celebrate the holidays with other names, it is still a time of peace and joy and love when coming together.
Manny Herrera made the occasion even more special, wandering like a minstrel among the tables and singing many Christmas favorites with other memorable hits interspersed. His beautiful voice and background music were just the right night note to make this an intimate and engaging time. Smiles all around! Cozy and comfortable!
The setting in the MountainView Ballroom added to the visual pleasure, as the decorations and table settings lent an extra sparkle to the occasion. The passed appetizers, rolls, salads, and entrées were served in a timely manner and tasted so special, everyone was happy to be served and not have to cook or clean up. We felt like royalty. It was the special banquet-only “Death by Chocolate” dessert that captured everyone’s heart. We would love it to be on the regular dinner menu, as it was outstanding.
May everyone have peace and joy in 2023!
Unit 15 Toy Donation
Kelli Beasley (left) and Connie Sheehey (right) (photo by Kelli Beasley)
Kelli Beasley
LifePoint Church hosted a “Parents Night Out” on Dec. 9, which included a Christmas party for the kids, as well as a free night of babysitting for the parents. There were approximately 60 kids ages 4 to 11, and they went from station to station making crafts, eating pizza, hearing bible stories, and so much more!
When the parents dropped their kids off at the party, they were directed to a room filled with toys where they shopped for each of their children. Gift wrapping by the SaddleBrooke Unit 15 elves took place once the toys were chosen.
All toys were donated by SaddleBrooke residents of Unit 15. The toys were then arranged in a room at LifePoint Church on four shelving units with four shelves per unit, and it looked like a toy store when it was all set up.
Nicole Jahan, the pastor’s wife of LifePoint Church, said, “We can’t even begin to thank you for all you and your Unit did for the families. They were so touched and blessed. Thank you so much for the love and care expressed to the community and kids.”
It was a lot of fun shopping for toys (for the SaddleBrooke residents and the parents) but, more importantly, the residents of Unit 15 came together to bring smiles to a lot of faces this holiday season!
Holly Jolly Unit 17
Residents of Unit 17 celebrated the season at a Holly Jolly Holiday Party at the RoadRunner Grill.
Barbara Barr
It was a “Holly Jolly” Unit 17 holiday party! Residents celebrated friendship and the holidays at the RoadRunner Grill! The buffet was amazing and the service impeccable! Our thanks to SaddleBrooke One for a wonderful meal! Manny Herrera topped off the evening with holiday music and dancing to the oldies!
Unit 25 Christmas Party
Ron Mazurek
Forty-seven Unit 25 Christmas revelers gathered together at the RoadRunner Grill on Dec. 12 to do some holiday cheer and celebration. The folks at the RoadRunner Grill provided a splendid choice of three entrées, and a cash bar was available for all to enjoy. Attendees were encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots drive, and the response was tremendous! It was so nice to once again get together with our neighbors to have such a nice time!
Unit 25 Ladies Holiday Cookie Exchange
Ron Mazurek
What could be better than Christmas cookies with champagne? Twenty ladies of Unit 25 gathered together at the home of Carol Conway on Dec. 17 for “a most excellent” Christmas cookie exchange to find out. Almost all attendees brought three dozen homemade concoctions to taste, split up, and share. Everyone walked away with a delightful plate of assorted goodies! Of course, no event like this is complete without champagne, which was in ample supply between what Carol provided and another five bottles donated by Sheila Mazurek. According to our paid spy, “Mr. Elf on the Shelf,” at one point, the ladies reportedly were drinking and laughing like sailors! In any event, all attendees walked away having a splendid time!
Unit 27 Activities
Unit 27 ladies celebrating the season at Vivace Restaurant
Sue Case
Thanks to the always-spot-on planning by Fira Stout, the ladies of Unit 27 kicked off the holiday season with what is now the annual holiday luncheon on Dec. 2 at Vivace Restaurant. The day was beautiful, the food and service, as always, were great, and everyone was in a festive mood. Adding to the fun, Fira had a game in which everyone had to mingle to answer various questions and complete a “Bingo” card for prizes. At the end of the event, all attendees took home crocheted Christmas hangers, compliments of Fira. Always a fun time!
Eileen and Jeff Depka held their annual holiday party for Unit residents on Dec. 3. Despite on-and-off rain, the attendees were presented with an experience right out of Las Vegas, absent the gambling. The bright lights and moving scenes put everyone in a fantasyland! And in a festive mood! As always, Eileen put out a festive spread with very ample food and drink selections. The huge crowd who attended had a great time.
The Unit 27 holiday party was held on Dec. 13 in the MountainView Ballroom. The number of attendees was lower than in some past years; however, due to the efforts of Jan and Ron Talbot and Phil Doyle, those who attended had a fun time. The dance floor was virtually never empty, with music picked by the attendees and played by DJ Phil. The selections varied from Elvis and Motown to Mamma Mia and Bruno Mars. Who knew that Linda Bouchard would be the belle of the dance floor? Though PJ and Marty were close behind! It was as fun to watch as it was to dance. The food was good, and the service was great. Our banquet server Sharon also joined in on a line dance.
As this article is written, it has rained, snowed, hailed, and frozen our uncovered plants, all in the course of a single week. Such is holiday time in the desert.
Unit 29 Celebrates the Holidays!
Debbie McGeehan
The first party was on Nov. 30 at our Unit Reps Lynne Austin and Dave Carrano’s house. Well, Dave was in hiding, as it was a Wine and Women gathering. What a beautiful afternoon and a beautiful backyard to catch up and drink wine, with snacks provided by Lynne! The time passed quickly, as we women never have a problem finding topics to talk about. By 5:30 p.m. it was time to go home and make dinner for our hubbies.
Dec. 3 was our annual Holiday Unit Party, which was held at the MountainView Ballroom. Gayle Van Natter and Sandy Seppala were the co-chairs in organizing this fabulous event. DJ Warren entertained us in his costume dress, along with great songs. Following our happy hour and heavy appetizers, he had almost everyone dancing! During the evening, Gayle and Sandy called raffle numbers, and many wonderful gifts, from champagne baskets to gift cards, were given away. Every couple walked away at the end of the night with a Christmas bag filled with holiday cheer (a bottle of wine)!
Thanks to Sandy, Gayle, and the elves who assisted them. This party put us in the Christmas spirit and made it a memorable evening for Unit 29!
Unit 49 Adopt-A-Family Program
Lan Bedard
December is the time of the year when Unit 49 participates in the SaddleBrooke Community Outreach (SBCO) Adopt-A-Family Program.
We have achieved a new record donation of $12,730 thanks to the generosity of Unit 49 residents. With this money, Unit 49 can support 41% of eligible families of the San Manuel School District; 29 adopted families made up of 55 adults and 106 children.
Our Unit 49 Adopt-A-Family Committee is a well-oiled machine:
Jeannine Grippo coordinates, collects donations, and distributes funds to the shopping teams to buy gifts.
Maureen Edelblut supports all the volunteers to accomplish their tasks of shopping, gift wrapping, and delivering to SBCO on time.
Karen Stevenson takes care of publicity.
Karen Schroeder makes sure that volunteers have boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbons to create beautiful wrapped gifts.
Shawne Cryderman prepares stockings for all 106 children.
A warmest thank you to the Unit 49 Adopt-A-Family Committee and to all 56 dedicated volunteers, the worker bees who have magically turned the donation money into hundreds of beautiful gifts to bring joy to our adopted families.