Smiles for all of you, our Sistahs from the GEMS Host luncheon held on July 12th at the Global Grille in Fort Lauderdale. Lots of neat ideas were discussed. Something new to share is GEMS Talk, fun info. about GEMS and our Sistahs to bring us closer. Watch for GEMS Talk coming your way in our WEC website in the near future.

Thanks Laurina, Carol, Vanessa, Christy, Donna, Kerrie, Chadia, Anne, (Karen,  Suzie and Sue Meister not pictured), and most of all Liz for making GEMS such a treasure for us.

We met at Seasons 52. Great chat about travel that we have all done & look forward to doing. Christy mentioned that she was able to share Dee’s Kitchen story with friends & Dee was getting votes from Thailand and other parts of the world, due to seeing the post Suzie sent me to upload. Barbara’s Cannon Circle evening was revisited & Barbara mentioned she is happy to host another. This will be great! It was a perfect evening. Edie & I discussed our happy anticipation for the retreat this Saturday. All others wished they could attend. Yet another wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with fellow WEC sisters. Thanks Christy for hosting the lunch. Thanks Liz Mendel for running the GEMS Lunches. Life sure is Good….

Our first Quarterly Saturday GEMS Lunch was held at The Duncan Center in Delray Beach. Deb McLaughlin was our lunch host. We had a phenomenal time. We met a group of ladies enjoying a quilting retreat. We were invited to peek in at their activity, to see the ladies in action, after lunch. Suzie King ran into a friend who is currently making a quilt for her sister! Christy saw a friend who was attending a different function while we were having our lunch. Jan and Carol discovered how very close they grew up together in Michigan,

It was cool and cloudy at lunch, but the skies opened wide and sunshine poured in for us, so we were fortunate to share the outdoor labyrinth.

Before our labyrinth walk Deb gave us some insight as to the history of labyrinths around the world, along with helpful hints for a memorable walk in the labyrinth. Unsure what to expect, I started my journey with an open mind. Yes, thoughts started popping up in my head. I do believe repeat walks will reveal more for me. Very inspiring!

Deb showed us the chapel and indoor labyrinth. Beautiful, just beautiful!

If you have never walked a labyrinth, or visited The Duncan Center, you are in for a treat. Thanks Deb for the warm fuzzy day.

Our next Quarterly Saturday GEMS Lunch will be in May. Watch for updates on date and location.

I can’t hear you!!!! Are you ready for your GEMS lunches????

That’s better.

The hosts past, current and future, 12 of us, met, to get ready for this upcoming year.

You will have 10 hosts, rotating lists sent to them from Liz.

Please be sure to email Liz Mendel if you want to be on attendee list, if you are not already on the list and attending lunches. Current attendees from 2009-2010 year do not have to do anything but to wait to hear from your host. For some reason if your host has not contacted you in August, please be sure to email them or Liz.

The lunch schedule is;

August-September

October-November

January-February

March-April

May- June

Bon Appetite

Hip hip HOORAY! Liz Mendel has agreed to fill the hole in our GEMS life as new leader!

I, Susan, will be assisting Liz, so that efforts seem seamless. Liz and I will be planning together for the upcoming Jan./Feb. kick off GEMS luncheons for 2010.

We have some updates and changes in the GEM Lunches.

Hopefully this posting will make everyone aware of what is going on.

GEM Lunches are set for bi-monthly lunches. Interested attendees and table hosts are asked to email Susan Kingsley, Susan@SusanKingsley.biz with their interest in being a participant in lunches or their interest in being a Table Host/Group Leader. The next set of lunches is going to be in the January-February months, due to all of the holiday festivities going on. The 2 lists passed at the last luncheon did not make it around the room, and some members were not in attendance, so we might not be aware that you are interested. If you have already signed up and attended GEMS this year, you are already in the list. If you are a Group Leader/Table Host and no longer wish to host, please contact Susan Kingsley, Susan@SusanKingsley.biz All of the interested participants appreciate Table Hosts/Group Leaders that want to be involved and make the time to assure the groups meet on a bimonthly basis.

The list of Group Leaders and  Attendees will be emailed to all Group Leaders. The attendance from your group is reported after the meeting to the GEMS Leader. Group Leaders will email the GEMS Leader and other Group Leaders with their lunch date and location. It is important to know who met with what group, so we can try not to duplicate the same groups at future lunches.

Table Hosts email their interested participants and offer a few dates available for a luncheon. The group emails back their availability and the host sets a lunch date with a local restaurant that is on the east side of town and is convenient for the group to arrive at. The lunches can last 1-2 hours, depending on the group’s time availability. The Group Leader contacts the restaurant ahead of time and lets them know the number in the party and that it is a business luncheon, with limited time for the lunch, so the lunch server can be prepared. If the Group Leader is unable to attend her luncheon, due to conflict, the group should be able to meet as planned, with one of the group members keeping track of attendance for the group leader.

This is a casual luncheon, which offers new and existing members to get to know each other. Attendees not able to attend their group luncheon can contact their Table Host/Group Leader and the Leader can let them know alternate groups they can join. It is not intended for the groups to become too large for a casual lunch and some groups not having enough Attendees. This option is solely so that Attendees can enjoy a luncheon each period.

Your cooperation and assistance is appreciated. We are trying to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone.