By: Rhiannon C., Member of the Grand Executive Committee, Color Bearer and Rep. to CO/NV

This is Rhiannon C., Member of the Grand Executive Committee, Color Bearer and Rep. to Colorado and Nevada. Lots of us California girls had a “nifty” time at the “Cruisin’ Through the Fifties With Nevada Rainbow” Grand Sessions back in June 2019. We surely represented California well as a delegation, and showed up with spirit and enthusiasm for Nevada Rainbow! I was invited to be seated in the East with our Supreme Worthy Advisor Joanie Jacka! I also got to sit with other counterparts to Nevada from various jurisdictions, and other members of the Nevada grand family. It was fun to be up in the East and see Nevada Grand Assembly from a new perspective. I also had an amazing view of the guests from California, which resembled a sea of green!

It was a blast to get the chance to attend and speak on behalf of Mrs. Regier and Isabella! I told the Nevada girls all about our Grand Service  Project and all about the teams and initiatives that we are working on here in California.

Grand Assembly was held in the same exact place that Supreme Assembly 2020 will be held, so becoming more familiar with the Peppermill Resort and where things are located there in Reno was helpful. One of my favorite parts of Nevada’s Grand Assembly was the assembly entertainment, where each assembly had a chance to display their talents. The girls sung and danced in their special outfits and made us laugh a lot! Other notable aspects of the sessions were the parents ceremony, the glowing alter, Maddie’s Mash House, the lighter side of majority, and the crowning ceremony between the retiring and incoming Grand Worthy Advisor. Speaking of Nevada’s Jr. Past Grand Worthy Advisor , Maddison J., she was appointed to serve another year as Grand Recorder and Representative to California and Florida! It was pretty cool to be down on the floor during announcements when her name was called! She got her very own lemur that I dressed up myself.The stuffed animal lemur went along well with her brand new mascot for Nevada, which ended up being the Marvelously Mischievous Monkeys! 

The Monkeys have kept very busy this year preparing for Supreme Assembly this summer. However, they have found time to come and visit us during the year. They brought quite the marvelous and mischievous disposition to a couple of events, Southern Camp in August and more recently, the last Official Visit in January. I was so excited to see them at both of these events. At  Southern Camp, some of the members of the Jr. Grand Executive Committee attended with the help of a little Nevada “pixie dust”! They also bid on me in the Grand Officer Auction and got to dress me up for dinner. It was so much fun, and the girls made me very beautiful by filling my eyebrows in with black mascara and letting me wear their special letterman jackets and Crocs. It was hilarious! The Nevada girls surprised me when they came to the Last OV! My mom – Chandra Blasquez, Grand Deputy and Past Grand Officer from Nevada kept this a secret from me until I saw them there. I was so happy, and they also got to sit right behind me during the Official Visit. Savannah L., Nevada’s Grand Worthy Advisor, even joined the Spirit Team and set off a confetti cannon during our presentation! I have had so much fun hanging out with the Nevada girls throughout the year! 

By: Shalyn M., Grand Executive Committee, California Flag Bearer, Circulation Manager and Rep. to Michigan

In June I had the privilege of attending Michigan’s Grand Assembly along with my Past Grand Deputy Mrs.Angie Thomas. I was welcomed by the Grand Worthy Advisor, Samantha, along with the Supreme Inspector. I met some of the girls at their first session of Grand Assembly. Their session consisted of the opening of a regular meeting along with a business meeting after that.  I had the pleasure of spending some time getting to know the girls over multiple lunches and dinners together. We bonded over playing games back at the hotel room along with a deep conversation over the different foods they have in Michigan to California. I even had the pleasure of touring the Masonic Pathway Retirement Home. During this time we got to bring cards to the Seniors that are staying in the retirement home. I even had the pleasure of attending their Saturday night party which consisted of an Indoor Water Park!  Although, I didn’t have a swimsuit where I could join in the fun I did enjoy getting to talk to the young ladies who also weren’t participating about their amazing state. I learned so much about how our states are different as well as similar, like how their Grand Officers are chosen, how many assemblies there are in Michigan, how old the girls that are Grand Officers usually are, and so much more. That night ended with me getting to go to my favorite place on earth, Olive Garden. This trip taught me so much about Michigan Rainbow. From the moment that I arrived, to the second that I left the girls and adults of Michigan Rainbow made me feel so welcomed and excited to be there. I will cherish those memories for a lifetime and hope to attend their Grand Assembly again in the future. Thank you!

By: Chloe H., Grand Immortality and Rep. to IL

It was such a blast to travel to Illinois! My Mother Advisor and I headed to the airport early on Thursday, and I was so excited to take selfies with her in my new Immortality hat and jacket from my grandie. We landed at the St. Louis airport and met Holly W., one of my fellow Lemurs, and her mom to get the rental car and make the few-hour drive to Springfield, Illinois for Grand Assembly. It was the 4th of July, so we could see fireworks as we drove, and when we passed the “Welcome to Illinois” sign we tried to take a picture of it, but Mrs. Winter ended up accidentally taking a selfie instead, which we joked about for the rest of the trip.

When we made it to Springfield, we were greeted by the Illinois Rainbow girls at our hotel. They have their Grand Assembly at the same hotel every year, in downtown Springfield, and we were told to try the famous “lobby water” — which turned out to be filtered water with some fruit in it. We met Robin, a friend of Holly’s who grew up in Illinois Rainbow but now lives in California. She gave us lots of tips on how to make the most of our time here in Illinois!

The first event was the Grand Cross of Color ceremony. We went to the breakfast and got to sit with some of Illinois’ Grand Officers, who told us all about the adventures on the Grand Line, and we watched the Grand Cross of Color team rock the ceremony. Then, for the first session of their Grand Assembly, we watched the Grand Officers walk out in beautiful purple dresses and we got to see the Grand Worthy Advisor, Gabby H., reveal her Grand West. The Grand West is a whole side of the room that the Grand Worthy Advisor decorates according to her Grand Assembly theme, and Gabby’s Grand West was beautiful purple mountains. 

Later in the weekend, we went to their Grand Banquet, where all the girls pile into the room and enjoy an amazing dinner. The Grand Officers and other honored guests sat on a dais, and that was when the donations for the Grand Service Project were revealed. The Illinois girls raised a ton of money for the Shriner’s’ Hospital of Chicago, where the Grand Worthy Advisor herself was once a patient. It was very exciting!

We also learned a lot about Abraham Lincoln: we visited his house in Springfield, and his law offices, and we visited Old Salem, which is a recreation of the tiny town he lived in as a young man. We also ran around the state capitol building in the dark, which was quite an adventure! We got to take some pictures with the statues. Then, we went to Texas Roadhouse® for dinner, and had some bread rolls that changed our lives!

What an adventure in Illinois! I will always remember my travels there, and I’m so grateful to still be in touch with the Illinois girls I met.

By: Ryanne G., Grand Hope and Representative to OR/Brazil

Hi everyone! It’s me, Ryanne, Grand Hope and Representative to Oregon and Brazil. This summer, I was so lucky to be able to travel to Pendleton, Oregon to visit their “Adventure Awaits” Grand Assembly and was absolutely amazed by everything Oregon Rainbow had to offer. Most of their Grand Assembly was very similar to California’s, just on a slightly smaller scale. They had beautiful decorations, sparkling new Grand Officer dresses, and even an exciting informal walk-in… just like us! They also have a very talented Grand Choir and Grand Pages for all of the line officers, who are also announced at their “Grand Officer Announcements”. The Meerkats of 2019 truly shined and I am so excited to see what the future holds for the Hedgehogs of 2020. Being able to travel to their sessions and sit in the East definitely reinforced my love for my jurisdiction and reminded me how wonderful it is to be able to learn and share all of the incredible ways that each jurisdiction is different. I loved watching all of Oregon show their spirit and excitement for service and community, and I really look forward to seeing their jurisdiction grow. I couldn’t be more proud to represent California in such a beautiful state full of such beautiful Rainbow adventures, awaiting in the future!

By: Holly W., Grand Executive Committee, Dean of the Grand Cross of Color and Representative to CT/RI

Hi California Rainbow! My name is Holly and I am a Member of the Grand Executive Committee, Dean of the Grand Cross of Color, and Representative to Connecticut and Rhode Island. I’d like to share with you my trip to Rhode Island. I was fortunate to be joined on my trip by my friends, Lucy and Angellina. When I arrived at my hotel room I got a wonderful bag that had goodies and information about some of Rhode Island’s landmarks. I knew we had to visit some in our spare time. I had so much fun at the, “Believe in Your Own Magic with Rhode Island Rainbow” Grand Assembly sessions. I had the opportunity to meet so many new people including my counterpart, Eryka, and the Grand Worthy Advisor Hannah, who would be the new rep to California! One of the coolest things I learned was that the Grand Line, Grand Chaplain, and Grand Drill Leader all wear crowns during Grand Assembly. All the Grand Officers have matching dresses and bows that match the theme. The Grand Worthy Associate Advisor moves up to Grand Worthy Advisor and this year her name was Holly, how funny is that?! Holly chose the theme, “Find the Key to Your Dreams with Rhode Island Rainbow” which is an Alice in Wonderland theme! This year they will be supporting the American Heart Association as their Grand Service Project. In between sessions Angellina, Lucy, and I got to visit some awesome places like the Roger Williams National Park. Roger Williams just so happens to be my relative and after sharing this with my counterpart Eyka we found out she was also related to him! So I guess we are very distant cousins. Next, we toured some lighthouses, got to eat lobster, and drink milkshakes the size of our heads! They were so good but boy! were we full! After sessions were over we decided to take that list I got earlier and try to visit as much as we could. One of the most memorable things we did was visit a memorial to the world’s largest chicken but the funny thing was that we didn’t know it was a memorial. We thought we were traveling to see an actual chicken so, after an hour of traveling, we found out that the chicken had unfortunately passed away many years before. We ultimately spent less than a minute there just to take a picture! Next, we visited the Newport Creamery where we had coffee milk, the state drink. One of the last things we did was visit the Roger Williams Zoo. Unfortunately, there were no lemurs, but we got to pet armadillos, goats, and sheep! Last, but by no means least, we got to go to the Breakers, a mansion owned by the Newport family. It was absolutely stunning and after our tour, we decided to run around the lawn, explore the garden, and of course, visit the gift shop! Finally, it was time to head back to California! I had so much fun in this wonderful state and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I have memories that will last a lifetime and new friends that I’ll get to see again in April when they come to visit California to attend our Grand Assembly!

By: Sarah B., Grand Nature and Representative to MT/ND

Hi! It’s Sarah, Grand Nature and Representative to Montana and North Dakota. I had the opportunity to attend Grand Assembly in Montana with a few girls from my Assembly. We arrived in Montana at a crazy hour in the morning after a wild plane ride. Grand Assembly started the next day, and it was exciting. To pass the time, we walked around downtown Bozeman trying local coffee shops and looking at bookstores. Grand Assembly was held at the Bozeman Masonic Center in Bozeman, Montana. I got to meet the Representative to California, Trinity. It was so fun to meet so many girls. The floor is very different from California, they open their Grand Assembly by singing a song about Montana while creating an M and they walk really fast. Songs were also all different. Montana has something cool called chocolate chances, where you have to try to find the chocolate with a golden ticket for a prize. I was especially excited to learn about their theme, “Books are a Dream Held in your Hand.”  The Assemblies helped read to local schools and donated books, as their service project. I had a wonderful time visiting!