a whole lotta league-in' goin' on

as i approach the end of my provisional year with the junior league, i'm finding that meetings and volunteering opportunities seem to be increasing rather than slowing down. but i've had so much fun meeting the women in the league, working side-by-side and getting to know them on a persona level. i'm happy to be a part of it and am looking forward to doing more activities in the years to come.

last week was the annual "placement fair," during which each committee within the league set up a table to attract prospective members for the upcoming year. it was held at kidspace, a children's museum near the rose bowl in pasadena that the junior league actually helped start about 30 years ago.

it was bright and colorful as you entered from the parking lot and made your way further into the museum. of course, we were there after regular hours, so it was closed to the public.

we were set up outside, on what looked like a little race track for the kids to "drive" cars on. really nice space.

may has just been declared "perinatal depression awareness month" in california. and it all started with an idea suggested by a provisional junior league member somewhere. this committee, called SPAC, is dedicated to supporting legislation in education, health, family support, and domestic violence prevention. i think it's pretty exciting to see that ideas, turned into action, really can come to be. and our SPAC committee was handing out flyers and awareness ribbons to spread the word.

league training & events was next. i chatted with the committee chair, snacked on an empanada, and got all excited when i noticed that i was in one of the photos in her display, taken during the fundraiser at jacob maarse last year.

i stopped just long enough at the "floaters" committee table to say hello and move on. these ladies are senior league members, with at least five years of service and looking for less of a commitment, but still wanting to be part of the league. so, not for me, but one day.

this committee is actually my #1 choice - bodywise. i'd had a great time volunteering at this year's event, and i love the entire concept. plus, i dig event planning, so this would be perfect. are you listening, JLP powers-that-be?

the fundraising events and development committee was still on a high from the annual "chocolate chip ball," held just that past weekend. they'd done a fantastic job, and i was sad to miss it. but since this is my second choice, maybe i'll be "forced" to be there next year. heh.

more committee tables.

i stopped at the cookbook committee's table for a while to chat with my buddy politico, one of my favorite members. we'd had a fun time at her stella & dot party a few weeks ago, and i slipped her a mini-catalog for the new little girls' line, just in case she was interested. she's the chair for the committee, and i made a mental note to buy a copy of the current cookbook.

i'm awful at my own finances, and so i had zero interest in joining this committee. not to mention, they meet during the day, so that's out anyway. but the chair was really sweet, and i liked their banner and decorations, so i took a picture.

done in a day, or "DIAD," was my third choice. i only got the chance to volunteer once with them this year, but it was super fun. and it's nice to go, do our thing in a matter of hours, and be - well, done in a day.

all year long, i thought i'd want to be on this committee. it's totally perfect for me, and something i enjoy and am good at. but when it came time to fill out the form with my committee choices, i decided it was a good time to step outside of my comfort zone and do something different. besides, i can always try for it another year - it's not going anywhere.

when i was all done checking out every table, it was time to grab some grub. and just in time, too, because then the league president picked up the mic and started the official meeting.

i had a great time, and decided that i'd take the teen and the bean back to kidspace sometime soon.

two nights later, i was back in pasadena - this time, at the hilton for an awards ceremony that we'd been asked to help at. and knowing that the JLP was a recipient of an award that evening, i figured it would be good to show up and be seen. here's the announcement in rose magazine - do you see anyone you know?

i arrived right on time, after battling insane traffic all the way. i was put to work immediately, escorting the attendees to their tables.

i was super amused to escort a lady who was wearing the exact same necklace as i was - plus earrings, a ring, and a bracelet. we made a great pair of stella & dot reps (although she wasn't a stylist and had bought her goodies from a friend who is). and yeah, this is just me. i didn't take a picture OF her, duh.

when our job was all done, we were stoked to be shown to a table of our very own - no one assigned to it had checked in, so we got to stay, have dinner, and watch the awards without having to buy a ticket. score!

figures - our award was dead last. i didn't think i'd be able to stick around till it was presented. damn.

of course, i had enough time to enjoy dinner. heh.

we've got our big "kids in the kitchen" event coming up this saturday. if you're local, have or know any 4th-6th graders to bring along, sign up at the JLP website and come on out to a fun event about healthy eating habits and fitness tips. it's free, and promises to be a blast.