Last Tuesday night (21 December), I went to the monthly IPMS/Gateway meeting at the Affton Elks Lodge. We had voting for next year's club officers and for this year's Stroup Award (Member of the Year). I was reelected President by acclamation, as no one else was nominated for the post. I am happy to serve another year as club president. The Stroup Award will be presented at next month's meeting. I am one of the three nominees for that honor.
We also had a buffet dinner, with entrees from Smokee Mo's BBQ and sides provided by club officers. (I brought some cupcakes from Schnucks.) We also had the annual Recognition Contest, in which we had to guess the war movie from the theme music. I got 20 of 23 correct for the best score of the night and earned a $10 gift card from Schaefer's Hobby Shop.
Finally, we had the big kit raffle, in which all members had a chance to win a model kit. With my winning ticket, I selected a kit of the German battleship Tirpitz.
After the rental branch closed early on Christmas Eve (24 December), I drove to Super Smoker's BBQ in Affton to pick up a Christmas Eve dinner my brother Doug ordered for my mom and me. It was delicious, featuring sliced turkey, green beans, and potatoes.
Up the next morning, my mom and I went to the Christmas tree set up in our living room to open some presents. I bought mom a pair of slippers, which she greatly appreciated. I received from mom and my brother Rick several books, including five from Rick's employer, the History Press. I also received a book I ordered from the National Museum of the United States Air Force's gift shop about the XB-35 and YB-49 flying wing bombers, and a large book with maps of key battles over the centuries.
Midday today, I was at Olympia Athletics & Events Centre in St. Charles to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) futsal matches. These three matches were with under 9 boys' teams, and I worked them solo. I had not refereed futsal in about two years and was concerned I would be rusty, but fortunately all the matches went well. I hope to work some more futsal matches in the season, which runs until early February.
Later.
Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:
IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)
Affton Elks Lodge 2635: Elks.org :: Lodge #2635 Contact Us
Smokee Mo's BBQ: Smokee Mo's St Louis BBQ Restaurant - Best Meat & Vegan BBQ (smokeemosstlouisbbq.com)
Schnucks: Home | Schnucks
Schaefer's Hobby Shop: Schaefer's Hobby Shop - Arts, Crafts, Beads, & R/C | Schaefers (schaeferhobby.com)
Super Smokers BBQ: BBQ + Cajun | Affton St. Louis | Super Smokers’ Newest Location
The History Press-Arcadia Publishing: The History Press (arcadiapublishing.com)
The Air Force Museum Store: The Air Force Museum Store Air Force Museum Store
Olympia Athletics & Events Centre: Olympia Athletics Events
St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)
