DECEMBER 9: THIS YEARS SUNCOAST MUSTANG CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS HELD AT MAINLANDS CLUB HOUSE. IT STARTED AT 6:00 P.M. A SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT MONA EDWARDS FOR OBTAINING THE USE OF THE MAINLANDS CLUB HOUSE FOR US. ONCE AGAIN MIKE AND HIS STAFF FROM MIKES PIZZA AND DELI CATERED THE FOOD AND IF I MAY SAY SO, I THOUGHT IT WAS OUTSTANDING. WE HAD A SHRIMP COCKTAIL PLATTER, BRUSCHETTA, GREEK AND TOSSED SALADS, CHICKEN SONOMA, PULLED PORK, WINGS, AND BAKED ZITI ALONG WITH HIS FAMOUS GARLIC KNOTS. AND FOR DESERT HE HAD PIES AND TIRAMISU. AFTER DINNER WE HAD A GIFT EXCHANGE WHERE EVERYONE THAT BROUGHT A GIFT SAT IN A HUGE CIRCLE HOLDING THE GIFT THEY BROUGHT. THEN I READ A MODIFIED VERSION OF TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. EVERY TIME I SAID THE WORD RIGHT THE CROWD PASSED THE GIFT TO THE PERSON ON THE RIGHT. EVERY TIME I SAID THE WORD LEFT, THEY PASSED THE GIFT TO THE LEFT. IT SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT OCCASIONALLY AS I WAS READING THE POEM I WOULD LOOK UP TO SEE SOMEONE WITH NO GIFT AND SOME WITH THREE. IT ALL WORKED OUT, AND WHEN THE POEM WAS DONE, YOU GOT TO OPEN THE GIFT YOU HAD IN YOUR LAP. THE NEXT GAME WE PLAYED INVOLVED A SMALL GROUP OF “VOLENTEERS” (CHRISTINE MOODY, KAREN FRANK, ANGUS REID, AND TAYLOR STOCKOWSKI) WHO STOOD AROUND A CARD TABLE WITH A BIG GIFT WRAPPED BOX ON IT. THEY EACH TOOK TURNS ROLLING THE DICE IN AN EFFORT TO GET DOUBLES, IF THEY DIDN’T GET DOUBLES THE DICE PASSED TO THE LEFT. IF THEY DID GET DOUBLES, THEY COULD PROCEED TO OPENING THE GIFT IN FRONT ON THE TABLE. BUT THE DICE CONTINUED GOING TO THE LEFT, AND WHEN SOMEONE ELSE GOT DOUBLES, THEY HAD TO STOP UNWRAPPING THE GIFT AND THE NEW PERSON COULD PICK UP WHERE THE OLD ONE LEFT OFF. IT IS A VERY FAST PACED GAME. OH AND BY THE WAY, AFTER YOU ROLLED YOUR DOUBLES, YOU HAD TO PUT ON A SANTA HAT, WINTER SCARF, AND OVEN MITTS BEFORE YOU COULD START UNWRAPPING. BELIEVE ME IT WAS QUITE A SITE TO SEE (THERE ARE PICTURES ON THE WEBSITE). THE THIRD AND FINAL GAME OF THE NIGHT WAS OUR VERSION OF THE NEW HIT TV SHOW ‘DEAL OR NO DEAL’. WHERE RANDOMLY PICKED CONTESTANTS PLAYED AGAINST THE ODDS FOR WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY ELUSIVE WE PUT 15 NUMBERED BOXES ON THE STAGE AND EACH ONE HAD A DOLLAR AMOUNT INSIDE THE BOX RANGING FROM 1 CENT TO 100 DOLLARS. THE PERSON COULD PICK ONE OF THE 15 BOXES THAT THEY THOUGHT THE HUNDRED DOLLARS WAS IN AND WE WOULD SET IT ASIDE. THEN THEY COULD OPEN THE REST OF THE BOXES ONE AT A TIME AND NARROW DOWN THE ODDS AS TO WHAT WAS IN THE BOX THEY PICKED FIRST. ALONG THE WAY WE WOULD TRY TO BRIBE THEM TO GIVE UP WITH CASH OR OTHER SEMI-VALUABLE PRIZES. ALL IN ALL, I THINK WE HAD A GOOD TIME WITH GOOD FOOD AND GREAT FRIENDS. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO DID PARTICIPATE AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED OUT I HOPE THAT YOU CAN MAKE IT NEXT YEAR.
IF ANYONE HAS ANY PICTURES, PLEASE EMAIL ME ( WAYNE@RESTOMODPLUS.COM ) SO WE CAN POST SOME UP.
DECEMBER 15: THIS YEARS ANNUAL TOYS FOR TOTS CARAVAN TURNED OUT WITH LESS PEOPLE BUT MORE GIFTS THAN I IMAGINED. A LOT OF PEOPLE COULD NOT MAKE IT THIS YEAR, BUT THEY SURPRISED ME BY STOPPING BY THE SHOP AND DONATING GIFTS ANYWAY. WE GOT SO MANY TOYS THAT WE COMPLETELY FILLED THREE CARS WITH ALL THE DONATIONS. WE CARAVANNED OVER TO THE BRANDON TOWN CENTER AND HOOKED UP WITH OUR FRIENDS RANDY AND DAVE FROM WQYK RADIO AND THE MARINE RESERVES. WE GOT SOME FREE ADVERTISEMENT ON WQYK LIVE RADIO AND THE RESERVES THAT WERE RUNNING THE TOYS FOR TOTS PROGRAM WERE VERY GRATEFUL FOR OUR DONATIONS. THANKS TO ALL THE MEMBERS WHO DONATED GIFTS. AFTER THAT, WE ALL WENT AROUND THE CORNER TO THE SMOKEY BONES RESTAURANT AND HAD DINNER AND EVEN MORE GOOD TIMES.