this past weekend i was fortunate enough to be invited to our annual junior league of mcallen leadership retreat, held at the los encinos ranch! the junior league is an international women's volunteer organization with hundreds of local chapters focused on effecting change in our communities. each chapter has a slightly different focus dictated by the biggest areas for improvement in their community. the mcallen chapter's main focus is on addressing childhood obesity and improving childhood literacy in our area. we host a few events each year to educate children on proper nutrition and exercise habits, as well as fundraising events so that we can provide services to better the lives of youth in the rio grande valley.
in addition to our work, this retreat also served as an extended social allowing us to spend time together and bond as a leadership team in increasingly larger groups before setting out into our committees. we had the best time touring the gorgeous property in search of zebras, deer, wildebeest (is the plural of wildebeest, wildebeest or wildebeests?) and oryx!
on sunday, all league members (and some hubbies!) were invited out to enjoy the ranch and bbq some amazing food. [texans take this bbq thing very seriously.] since moving to texas, joining the junior league has been one of the best decisions i've made. having moved to a community where we didn't know anyone, with a very different culture, and where not everyone is in support of law enforcement, it's easy to fall into a pattern of isolation. upon landing in rgv i saw a lot of things i felt could be improved, and decided dedicating some time to volunteering would simultaneously allow me to better adjust to the area and j's schedule, while having a positive impact on the community. i also hoped i would be able to meet some like minded locals, and my expectations in this arena have been SO far surpassed. not only have i met women to collaborate with, but friends to lunch with and brunch with. everyone has been so welcoming, and since joining league these ladies and their families have become our family away from home!
i was so grateful for this chance to not only grow personally, and get to know more of these women a little better, but also to see a slice of "real texas." the amount of work that goes into maintaining a ranch of this size is enormous, but the experience of being able to see all the wildlife and texas in this light was so special. los encinos were perfect hosts, making this a very memorable and one of my favorite texas experiences so far.
it was a truly awesome weekend!
may dinner
tonight was our annual "may dinner" for the junior league of mcallen, held at the mcallen country club, which is more or less a banquet of sorts. our new fiscal year begins on june 1st, so at the end of may we take an evening to reflect on the past year, thank our president and her family for their intensive commitment, our sustainers, and outstanding members, to welcome new provisionals, and to pass the baton from past presidents to our president elect, welcoming her to her new position and officially kick off the new year.
it's a fun evening where we get to doll up a little, wear fascinators, enjoy yummy food and drinks, acknowledge the hard work that was accomplished, and get excited for the adventures to come. this year was my first may dinner and i was especially excited to be graduating on to active status from my provisional year with my class. while i am a little sad that we'll all be separating into separate committees, it's exciting to have passed our test, and be done with our probationary period.
so excited for everything i expect us to accomplish, and this weekend's upcoming retreat!