Our week began with a beautifully sunny Memorial Day; in remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, the American Legion visited in the morning for a Memorial Day presentation. Residents, including those who are veterans, gathered outside to watch and celebrate. Because of the holiday, activities were scaled back but after lunch residents gathered for Oh My Stars! Target Shoot.  Noel brought out the NERF dart gun and folks practiced their sharpshooting skills in order to receive as many points as possible! Dorothy Pfaffe came in fourth; we had a three-way tie for third: Ivan Mason, Kay George and Yvonne Sinz; then Jeff Halverson and Harold Clark tied for second. Carol Campbell was the first-place champion! No one walked away empty-handed as Noel had plenty of red, white and blue prizes to go around. Supper was up next and then folks stayed out for Monday night Bingo. A big THANK YOU to Teresa Fedie for all her wonderful help with the game!

After breakfast Tuesday morning, folks settled in for Mass with Father Jojo and Terry Pelzel. We always appreciate these gentlemen stopping by to spend time with residents and lead them in prayer and reflection! Lunch was soon served and once mail had been delivered, Aaliyah was in the dining room with the trusty popcorn machine. She served up bowlfuls of fresh and delicious popcorn which always draws a crowd, as no one can resist gobbling up the crunchy kernels! There was time later on for visiting and soon Pastor Pfaffe from St. John’s Lutheran Church was here for afternoon services for residents. Thank you to all of our faith leaders and their service to our community! The day ended with a little supper and then an evening of games with Aaliyah!

Our bowlers were in it to win on Wednesday morning and crashing pins could be heard throughout the building as Shirley Klinski came in fourth; Kevin Bauer, Janet Robelia, Mary Matzek and Judy Thorn all tied for third, and Yvonne Sinz and Larry Thompson tied for second. The ties continued with first place being awarded to both Milda Bautch and Jeff Halverson! The game came to a close and residents refreshed themselves with the noon meal; afterwards, Barb Halling helped Noel distribute the mail. Fruit Bingo was the name of the game Wednesday afternoon and Wanda Ebensperger and Lana Ingli were here to set up, clean up and pass prizes to everyone! We had two winners for Blackout this week: Alice Brantner and Barb Grewe! We finished out the day with our Mid-Week Social where a large crowd hung out in the dining room to enjoy cool and delicious Root Beer Floats!

Harriet Rothe was at the care center Thursday morning for our Local News and Coffee group, full of new stories to share and ready to read folks the local papers. We always appreciate her smiling face and cheerful demeanor! Lunch and mail delivery came and went, and then the monthly Resident Council meeting (led by Stacey) came to order in the afternoon. Residents gathered to look back on the past month’s activities, look ahead to the next month’s schedule and discuss anything on their minds pertaining to their experience at the care center. Once the meeting adjourned, Aaliyah and Cameron spent the afternoon giving all our ladies manicures and freshening up nails! They had quite a line up and our gals love the pampering. There was a little bit of time left over before supper for folks to visit; after the evening meal it was time for a game of Pokeno with Aaliyah and Cameron!

Before you knew it, Friday was upon us and that meant it was time for Fitness Friday. Noel had a new game to try with everyone: axe throwing! Not to worry as it was not as dangerous as it sounds: the axes were plastic and the target was Velcro. Folks needed a little bit more practice perhaps, as everyone wanted to move on to a different game…not to worry as Noel was ready with a game of Dart Ball! Kevin Bauer and Shirley Klinski tied for fourth place, Kay George was in third and Judy Thorn came in second.  Alice Brantner was the first-place winner this week! After lunch concluded and the mail was delivered, Noel and Stacey passed out the new activity calendars for June, as Friday was the last day in May. Hard to believe that it was almost June! What’s not hard to believe is that everyone had a blast at our Happy Hour that afternoon. Ron Pronchinske brought the tunes and put on quite the show, even playing a few rounds of Name That Tune with our audience, while folks snacked on barbeque meatballs! All too soon the party was over, supper arrived and then it was time for Movie Night. Tonight’s flick was “Love Me Tender” starring Elvis!