This was not my first association with the Allen Retired Educators.  Last spring Friend BB and I were invited by our friends Carolyn and Minetta to join the group for the tour of Fort Worth.  The Allen ladies are friendly and fun, so when we were invited to join them for a meeting, we agreed.  What a lovely day we had.  The Allen Retired Educators Association (AREA) have several goals:

– Make new friends or renew old acquaintances

– Volunteer for the benefit of the community

– Stay informed about Texas Retired Teachers Association

– Strengthen our voice in the Texas Legislature

Pretty important goals if you ask me!

The Allen meetings are held at the Heritage Ranch Clubhouse.  There are beautiful views of the golf course.

 

What a lovely place to gather.

The theme for the meeting was “Lasso the Future”.  Cowboy boots filled with bluebonnets graced the tables.

Many of the ladies came dressed for the occasion.

 

The meeting began with a demonstration from a steer roping champion.  Not only was he a super cute cowboy, he could rope.  Did you know that you have to use different methods and ropes when roping steers and calves?  Live and learn.

There was even a cake to celebrate the occasion.  Our lunch consisted of barbecue brisket, baked beans, potato salad, and cornbread or rolls.  It was all tasty.

The Allen group has many activities planned for the 2014-2015 year.  The ladies had a hat parade to focus on all of the various programs and activities available during the coming year.  This was super cute.  Each lady had designed her hat.

Minetta’s hat focused on the movie club.  Each month the ladies get together to go to a movie.  Other times they have lunch and attend plays or take tours.  What fun!  It seems to me that they have a lot planned for this year.

Be still my heart.  Three ladies from our table won door prizes.  Sadly, it was not me.

What a fun time we had at the AREA meeting.  I even got reacquainted with friends from Richardson.  

Retired teachers give back so much to the community by volunteering.  These were giving ladies while teaching, and they continue to give.

This is an important year for retired teachers in the Texas Legislature.  There is hard work to be done.

Blessings to you and yours,