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Jason

Portland Chapter
www.affirmation.org/portland

March 2013

Hope everyone's enjoying some of the great Spring days we've been having! Thanks to Rick and Henry for hosting the last Affirmation potluck at their home (and introducing us to their 6 new-addition-chickens). Nancy and Susan have agreed to host a potluck dinner at their wonderful home for March. Here are the details...

WHEN: Friday, March 22nd at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Nancy & Susan's

WHO: You, your partners, family, and friends

WHAT TO BRING: Please bring a dinner or dessert dish to share with the group.

?S: If anyone needs a ride or has other questions, please contact Jason (503-575-5817). Come and see old friends, make new ones, and enjoy the wonderful food and company! See you there!

Ciao, Jason & Robert~

January 2013

Hey Everyone,

Hope you're all settling into a good 2013 so far! In case you didn't know, I wanted to publicly announce that Robert Rookhuyzen has agreed to be the Co-Chapter Leader of Portland Affirmation. Those of you who have been involved with the group for a while know Robert and what a great leader he will be.

For January, we thought we'd try bowling again. We're going to return to Tigard Bowl on a Sunday, as they cut their prices in half (2$ per game instead of 4$) starting at 8 p.m. They also serve food, drinks, and there's a pizza place right next door. Here are the details:

WHEN: Sunday, 1/27/13 at 7:45 p.m.

WHERE: Tigard Bowl (11660 SW Pacific Highway, Tigard 97223)

COSTS: $3.25 to rent shoes and only $2 per game

WHO: You, your partners, friends, and family

DIRECTIONS: From I-5 take the Tigard (Highway 99) Exit and head West. It'll be on the South side of the street. From I-217 take the Tigard (Highway 99) Exit and turn left heading East. It'll be on the South side of the street.

?s: If you have any questions or need better directions, please email me back or call/text me: 503-575-5817.

Hope to see you there! Ciao,

Jason~

August 2012

Hey Everyone,

First, I want to thank Henry and Rick for hosting a fun potluck bbq dinner at their home a few weeks ago.

As I mentioned in the last email, we have a very cool Affirmation event coming up. The filmmaker, Jon Garcia, is going to do a special screening of his new gay movie called THE FALLS. It is about 2 LDS missionaries who fall in love while on their mission (I believe in Idaho Falls). Jon wants to do a question/answer session and get feedback about his film, and he let me know that one of the lead actors (who played one of the missionaries) will also be in attendance. We are setting up the screening in my backyard, so we'll likely start the movie between 9:30 and 10:00. We will have both blankets to sit on up front and chairs set up in the back.

Here are the other details: WHAT: Backyard movie screening of THE FALLS

WHEN: Friday, August 10, 2012 starting at 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Jason's house -- Call or email me for directions

WHO: You, your partners, friends, and family

WHAT TO BRING: An appetizer, dessert, or movie snacks to share with the group. (We decided to not have a full dinner for this event due to the late hour.) You can also bring drinks (alcoholic or not) if you'd like for the event. (I will have ice, sodas, juices, and other mixers.)

You can also bring a blanket to sit on. Or if you have some chairs you want to bring, please let me know and I'll see if they're needed.

QUESTIONS:: If you have any other questions, need better directions, or help with a ride, please email me back or call/text me any time: 503-575-5817.

This should be a great event, so hope you can join us for the fun! Ciao,

Jason~

July 2012

Dear Friends,

I hope everyone's summer is going as well as mine. It's so great having this weather week after week! Many thanks to Robert for hosting a great potluck dinner last month.

For July, Rick and Henry are hosting a BBQ at their home. We will provide the BBQ meats (likely chicken), so please bring all the side dishes and desserts. (If you're a vegetarian and want to grill something specifically, feel free to bring your own.)

Here are the details:

WHAT: BBQ potluck dinner
WHEN: Friday, July 27th, at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Rick/Henry's house
WHO: Yourself, partners, friends, family, and other fun people
WHAT TO BRING: A salad, side dish, or dessert to share with the group

For directions or questions, you can contact Henry or Rick at 503-288-2003. If you need a ride or have other questions, you can contact me at 503-575-5817 (or email me back).

Also, SAVE THE DATE!

On Friday, 8/10/12, we're going to have a special movie screening of a new gay (Mormon) movie called The Falls. It is about two (young male) LDS missionaries who fall in love with one another. The film maker has asked that we screen the film and give him input, as this may not be the final released version of his film. The tentative plan is that we'll do this as a back yard screening, starting the movie about 10:00 p.m., but all these details have not yet been finalized.

Hope to see you at the BBQ! Ciao,

Jason
(503-575-5817)

June 2012

Dear Friends,

As you likely know, Portland Pride is coming right up this Sunday. At our recent potluck dinner (THANKS AGAIN, ROBERT!), we were able to meet with Sara, one of the founders of Mormons for Marriage Equality. Sara is organizing a group of local Mormons (many who are active), who are going to march in the Portland Pride Parade this Sunday, openly supporting marriage equality. We would like to support their group and march right along with them.

If you have never marched before, this is a lot of fun! We'll have signs for you to carry (if you want), either signs getting the word out about Affirmation or signs of Mormons supporting marriage equality. Depending on our numbers, we might decide to march in conjunction with (like right in front of or behind) the other Mormon group, or we might just comingle in our march. Either way, I know the crowd will be psyched to see us out there.

Let's meet Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on the corner of 8th & NW Glisan. Even if you aren't going to march with us, feel free to come by and say hi. I'll also provide a few breakfast treats, so come and have a bite as well. Then we'll walk over to the other group before starting the march.

Hope you can join us! Ciao,

Jason~

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since we connected as the Portland Affirmation Chapter, so now is the chance to get together again. This first opportunity (with many others to follow in the coming months) will be a potluck dinner hosted at Robert Rookhuyzen's home.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Friday, June 6, 2012 at 6:45 p.m.

WHERE: Robert Rookhuyzen's place -- If you need directions or have other questions, please email/call me (503-575-5817).

WHO: You, your partners, family, and friends

WHAT TO BRING: A dinner or dessert dish to share with the group

* * *
On another note, the National Affirmation Conference will be in Seattle this year from October 19th - 21st, and with it being so close this is a great year to attend! I'm sure we can carpool up together. All the details are at our webite: www.affirmation.org.

To register for the conference, you can either register online with a credit card or paypal, or you can print the registration form and mail it in with a check (or credit/debit card number). The cost for Affirmation members for the conference is $169 per person if you register by June 30th. (Afterwards, the prices go up each month until the day-of walk-ins.) You can become an Affirmation member at the same time as registering for the conference: $25 for an individual, $40 for a couple, $15 for a student or low income individual. (Financial assistance to defray the cost of conference registration is available through the Irwin Phelps Scholarship Fund for those who could not otherwise attend. To apply for assistance, please see the Conference Registration page on the website.) There is also an optional Sunday afternoon cruise/luncheon you can register for.

The conference will be held at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel in downtown Seattle, and we were able to negotiate the price of $159/night with up to 4 people sharing a room. (That comes to only $40 per night per person.) You may also book an extra night at this cost from the 18th - the 21st. To book a room, just click on the link in the website.

The website also has many other details, such as the theme "Celebrate the Journey," the keynote speakers, workshop ideas, etc.

Hope to see you at the dinner! Ciao,

Jason~

January 2012

Hey Everyone!

Since according to certain movies, calendars, and nutjobs, 2012 will be the end of the world, I say we should have some really fun Affirmation activities before that all occurs. To start, Monte and Benjamin have offered to host an Affirmation potluck at their home. (And if you really want to live it up for 2012, plan to attend the National Affirmation Conference in Seattle this fall. More details on that as we get closer, or you can always check out affirmation.org.) Here are the details for the dinner:

WHEN: Saturday, January 28th at 6:30 pm

WHERE: Monte & Benjamin's place -- Call me for directions

WHO: You, your partners, friends, and family

WHAT TO BRING: A dinner or dessert dish to share with the group

DIRECTIONS: It's just West of Downtown in Goose Hollow. If you need specific directions...

?S: You may contact Monte (503-330-3172) or me (email me back here or 503-575-5817) if you have any ?s or need to arrange a ride.

I hope you can all join us for the dinner! It'll be a lot of fun. Ciao,

Jason~

10th Annual Portland Affirmation Holiday Party
To Be Held Friday, December 2, 2011

by Jason Giles

Dear Friends,

Amazing how we're almost to 1012. I want to thank all of you for your support of Portland Affirmation, and especially to those who opened up their homes for the many activities. Plus, many thanks to Henry and Rick for their generosity—our Scream at the Beach event last month was great fun! Their scariest one to date!

On Friday, December 2, 2011, we're going to have our 10th Annual Portland Affirmation Holiday Party. Yes 10--this has been a great tradition for an entire decade now! I'm happy to again open up my home for this event. It will be a potluck dinner, but a nicer version thereof. In the past, we've had a full-blown Thanksgiving-type dinner, but I'm ok with expanding to other delicious holiday dishes. Although not necessary to attend, it would be very helpful to RSVP to me and let me know what you're thinking of bringing. We'll also have our traditional White Elephant gift exchange (with a $3 limit), so please bring a wrapped gift to share with another attendee. (Bringing a gift is also not required to attend.)

FOR THIS EVENT, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE 3 EASY STEPS:

1) RSVP to me, Jason, that you (and any other guests) will be attending. This is mainly helpful for me to have enough table and chair space. You can RSVP either by email, or you can text/call me at my number: 503-575-5817. I have voicemail, so you can leave me a message any time.

2) When you RSVP, please let me know if you have a favorite holiday dish that you'd like to bring for the dinner, or let me know if you'd like a specific assignment. To make this the grand feast it should be, we need: relish tray and/or other appetizers, drinks, salads, bread or rolls, side dishes, main dishes, pies and desserts, and maybe some dishes I'm forgetting. After getting your RSVP, I will reply with an email or text/phone call regarding your dish to bring. I'm hoping to honor most all requests and have you bring what you'd like (but if you're the 4th person wanting to bring bread, that might not work.)

3) For each person who attends, please bring a wrapped White Elephant gift that can be exchanged after the dinner. The gift can be funny, seasonal, practical, or completely bizarre, but please limit the cost to around $3.00. (We will have a few extra White Elephant gifts on hand, so please don't stress out or skip the evening if you forget this.)

Holiday Party Details

WHEN: Friday, December 2nd, at 6:45 p.m. (We'll have appetizers for the first 30-60 minutes.)

WHERE: Jason's home-call me or email me for directions

WHO: You, your partners, friends, family members, etc.

HOW: Please RSVP, so we can coordinate dinner (jasonloyd@hotmail.com or 503-575-5817.)

WHAT TO BRING: An assigned dish for the dinner AND a wrapped White Elephant gift ($3 limit)

QUESTIONS: As always, please contact me if you need a ride, better directions, or have any questions.

It'll be a fantastic evening and feast, so please come and join us! Ciao,

Jason~
503-575-5817

October 2011

Dear Friends,

I'm excited to announce Affirmation's Scream at the Beach night is coming up on Sunday, 10/23/11, starting at 6:15 p.m.

This year, we're going to meet at the Scream at the Beach location inside the Jantzen Beach Mall in the stores near the Carousel on the west of the mall. (The reason I mention "location" is that 2 more Scream sites have opened this year at Mall 205 and in Vancouver.) We'll stick with our tried and true favorite at the Jantzen Beach Mall.

**At 6:15, we're going to meet in the Food Court near the Carousel, as this is an easy place to find, gather, and enjoy a few treats. Then by 7:00 we'll get in line for the various haunts.

As most of you already know, our Afffriend, Henry Miller, is the creator & owner of these amazing attractions. Henry and his awesome partner in crime, Rick Fernandez, are again giving us an amazing half-price deal, with each ticket costing only $10 instead of $20 per person.

This year's theme is Descent Into Madness, and like last year's attraction it takes quite a long time to get through (which I found to be scarier than the multiple smaller houses.) Details can be found at wwww.screamPDX.com . Here is a review of our plan.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 23rd at 6:15 pm

WHERE: In the Jantzen Beach Mall Food Court near the Carousel. Park on the West side of the Mall.

WHAT TO BRING: $10 per person for entrance into Scream; optional money for food court treats or a possible **earlier dinner.

WHO TO BRING: Anyone who wants to join us for Scream at the Beach that night. Even kids are welcome, although younger kids might get too scared in the haunted attraction.

DIRECTIONS TO SCREAM AT THE BEACH: Drive on I-5 North until the Jantzen Beach exit (just before the Washington border). From the exit, follow the signs to the Jantzen Beach Mall and drive to the West side of the mall. Park at the far West end of the parking lot.

**IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MEET EARLIER (SAY 5:00 PM) FOR DINNER BEFORE THE HAUNT, I'D BE UP FOR MEETING AT BJ'S PIZZA, WHICH IS JUST ON THE OTHER (EAST) SIDE OF THE MALL. BE SURE TO EMAIL ME BACK OR TEXT ME, HOWEVER, SO WE CAN PLAN THIS.

QUESTIONS: Email back or call/text me at 503-575-5817 with any ?s. If you need a ride, please contact me.

This is one of the most fun and well-attended events that Portland Affirmation does each year, so please join us! We always have a great time. Like I say every year, 'It'll be a Scream!' Ciao,

Jason~

September 2011

Dear Friends,

Hope everyone has had a marvelous summer, enjoying the heat while it briefly lasted. (Come back, Sun! We're not done with you yet!) I want to also thank Michael, Marty, & Chuck for hosting our last Affirmation activity!

For September, Kevin Cox has offered to host the next potluck dinner at his beautiful home. Below are all the details:

WHEN: Friday, September 23, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Kevin's place--call me for the address.

WHO: You, your partners, family, and friends

WHAT TO BRING: A dinner or dessert dish to share with the group

DIRECTIONS: Kevin lives close to St. Vincent's Hospital.

From I-26 Westbound, take the Barnes Road Exit, turn right at the end of the Exit, and turn Right (East) onto Barnes Rd. and head up the hill. Turn right onto SW Monterey Place, which is almost directly across the street from St. Vincent's Hospital (look for a big, red sign near where you're supposed to turn.) If you don't know how to get to I-26 from I-5 or I-26, send me an email and I'll get you clearer directions.

QUESTIONS: If you need better directions, a ride, or have any other questions, please email me back or call me.

Hope you can join the fun! Ciao,

Jason (503-575-5817)