Missing in Action and Military Appreciation Day Tomorrow

I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately, but I actually moved last month off of Fort Ord and into downtown Monterey. That does mean that I won't be able to post Pinnacle Information anymore. That being said, I will still try and do research to share any military events that I find out about.

One such event is Military Appreciation Day TOMORROW, June 4th at the Del Monte Center. There are a bunch of planned activities, discounts and the like. Take your whole family as the lineup looks to be very exciting. Click below on the link for the flyer

Del Monte Center Military Appreciation Day Flyer

Show the Del Monte Center that military events are worth the effort and expense and that the military community here appreciates the support. Hope to see you there!

Hiatus and Artichokes

I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. I moved out of the Fort Ord Community and into downtown Monterey for my own sanity. That being said, I'll try to stay on top of all the OMC events by getting information from my friends that still live in Pinnacle housing.

As for fun things to do this weekend, I'm headed to the Castroville Artichoke festival this weekend. It is both Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 am and running to 6:00 pm on Saturday and 5:00 pm on Sunday. There is live entertainment, tons of food (for purchase mainly), a parade, a prince and princess of the festival, and many more exciting activities. I will never forget first driving into Monterey and passing a sign that said Castroville, Artichoke Capital of the World. I will never forget that sign and I'm really excited to go tomorrow.

Active duty military is FREE. Other military is $5, students/seniors/children 4-12 are $5 and children under 3 are free.

Here's a link to an article in the Salinas Californian about the event.

Another website is the festival site which you can get to by clicking here.

New Layout

I apologize for taking down the calendar. I was trying to update the Pinnacle April calendar but there were so many changes and inconsistent classes that it was easier to just link to the pdf of the calendar as it is distributed by Pinnacle. Unfortunately, my Masala Bhangra class, as well as Body Combat and other classes have been cancelled. There seem to be a lot of yoga classes during the day and your same Zumba classes in the evening.

In addition to the Pinnacle calendar, there are links for the monthly MWR Blast which lists upcoming events and activities at DLI and the Peacock Press, the quarterly event calendar for NPS. All military in the area are able to take advantage of any of these classes so get involved, get out there and have fun!

St. Patrick's Day Crafts and Activities

Please join in and celebrate the coming St. Patrick's day holiday with Pinnacle. From 1600-1800 at Fitch Community Center on Thursday, March 17, Pinnacle will be hosting St. Patty's Day Crafts and Activities. All craft supplies and snacks will be provided. Try your luck at being crafty and you might find a pot o' gold at the end of your rainbow!

February Schedule Is Up!

I apologize to everyone for not posting as often. I just recently started a full time job with Monterey County and things have still been crazy since the holiday exodus. Now that New Year's Resolutions have come and gone, remind yourselves to stay focused and attentive to being active and eating well. Pinnacle has increased the number of classes and changed some times around to make things more convenient.

A few changes to note:

• Monday's Yoga in Motion class is BEFORE Zumba and a great warm-up to a cardio class or fun on it's own.
• Body Combat and Yoga classes at Fitch Community Center have FREE daycare in the Community Center building so don't let it be an excuse not to work out!

February Highlights:

• Family Movie Night continues at La Mesa on Thursday, February 17th.
• Celebrate Valentine's Day with a home-made box at the Valentines Day craft session on Friday, February 4th at La Mesa!!
  
• Friday February 11 is Wine and Chocolate tasting. Contact Pinnacle for more details.
  
• Running out to work? Grab a free Breakfast-on-the-Go on the 25th at your local housing office.
  

Darryl Worley Concert- THIS SATURDAY

The Darryl Worley Concert is this Saturday. Shuttles from the Presidio of Monterey and throughout OMC will begin at 1600. The concert begins at 1800. There will be food vendors as well as an FRG food booth to support military families. Come hear some great music and have a good time. For more information, including shuttle pick-up and drop-off points, click here. The concert is free admission so take advantage of this exciting event!

November Calendar is UP

The November Health and Wellness Calendar is now up on the blog. Some of the highlights this month are:

Friday 11/12: Toy Story Movie Marathon beginning at 0900 at the La Mesa Ballroom (1200 Fechteler Drive, Monterey).
Thursday 11/18: Movie Night at 1830 at Fitch Community Center (1225 Tunisia Road, Seaside).
Wednesday 11/24: Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts from 1300-1500 at the La Mesa Community Center (1200 Fechteler Drive, Monterey) in the Birthday Room.

There are three days where there are NO classes or activities due to holidays:
Thursday 11/11: Veterans Day
Thursday 11/25 and Friday 11/26: Thanksgiving holiday

Stay active and stay fit!

Marine Spouses Meet and Greet- TOMORROW

I'm sorry I am so late in posting it, but for all you Marine Spouses, there is our monthly Meet and Greet at 201 Noumea Road on Fort Ord. It will be at 10am and refreshments are available. Children are welcome to attend as there are plenty of kids activities in the back yard. We will have the usual schedules, and go over details for next week's ball. We will also be discussing formalizing our organization and open volunteer positions for those who want to become more active in the Marine Community here on base. Come and spend time with fellow Marine spouses. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, you can email marinespousemonterey@gmail.com

Yard Sale THIS SATURDAY

The Post-wide yard sale is this Saturday from 10am to 2pm. The yard sale will be located at the back of Fort Ord off Joe Lloyd Way. See map below for details. I am also going to plug a ribbon and bow booth that will be at the sale run by a fellow Marine Spouse. She makes adorable bows and ribbon hair pieces that are great holiday gifts for the little princesses in your life!

Registration for the post wide yard sale/ craft fair is going on Thursday evening from 6pm-8pm and Friday from 10am-1pm and 6pm-8pm. There are plenty of spaces available as well as clothing racks for rent. Spots range from $15-$25 depending on whether you live on Post and whether or not you have a prime space.

Early bird passes are also available for $5 cash only. This will get you in to the Yard Sale 45 minutes before everyone else. Due to frequent poor weather in February this will be the last Post-Wide yard sale until May!

Family Movie Night Info

Pinnacle holds a family movie night each month, one at La Mesa, and one at Fitch Community Center. Here is the information for this month's movie nights. And don't forget, it's FREE!

WHERE: La Mesa Ballroom

WHEN: Oct. 14^th

TIME: Movie starts at 6:30pm

MOVIE: Tinker bell & the Great Fairy Rescue – Rated G

Please view details at:

http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/482074

WHERE: Fitch Community Center

WHEN: Oct. 21^st

TIME: Movie starts at 6:30pm

MOVIE: Scooby Doo! Camp Scare

Please view details at:

http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/490996

FOCUS Group Reminder- TOMORROW

Tomorrow night at the OMC Activity Center, Pinnacle will be holding another Focus Group to discuss the Pinnacle Difference Program with Fort Ord residents. They are interested in getting more junior enlisted military and their families at Pinnacle events and classes. They will be discussing scheduling, conflicts, attendance, and want your feedback to tailor the program so YOU will attend. With your help, the Pinnacle Difference program will improve. Refreshments were available at the last focus group (sandwiches, drinks and snacks).

Where: OMC Activity Center 201 Noumea Rd (pumpkin colored house at the corner of Noumea and Monterey Rds)
When: 1800-1900
Parking is available on the street. The entrance to the house is on Noumea Rd.

Marine Spouses Meet and Greet

It is that time of the month again! Thursday, October 7th at 1000 will be the monthly Marine Spouses Meet and Greet. For more information, visit the Facebook group page by clicking here. It will be, as always, at the OMC Activity Center (pumpkin colored house) at 201 Noumea Rd. The house is on the corner of Noumea and Monterey Roads. You can park on-street on Noumea Rd.

This month the theme is the upcoming Marine Corps Ball. We encourage everyone to bring dresses they would be willing to let others borrow, or bring the dress they are planning to wear. Veteran Marine spouses will be there to help give input on the appropriateness of any outfit. We will discuss fun makeup tips, talk about where to get hair and nails done, and also discuss childcare options. There is lots to report so we hope to see you on Thursday! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me. Refreshments will be available and children are more than welcome to attend.

Pinnacle Focus Group 10/5

If you live on Fort Ord or in La Mesa, please take part in the upcoming focus group from Pinnacle. On October 5th, Pinnacle and a representative from the Army Residential Communities Initiative will be hosting a focus group to get feedback. Refreshments will be provided and you will be asked questions on how Pinnacle can better serve our community. This includes hosting community events for military families as well as refining the health and wellness program to encourage greater attendance, especially from junior enlisted couples and families. Here are the details:
When: October 5th, 2010 from 1800-1900
Where: OMC Activity Center- 201 Noumea Rd. This is the pumpkin colored house at the corner of Noumea and Monterey Rds. Parking is available on street. The entrance to the house is on Noumea Rd.
Help provide feedback so that community programs not only continue to be offered, but also grow into something your whole family can enjoy!

Infamous One Call- Can You Hear Me Now?

Do you spend most of your time on Fort Ord or La Mesa? Do you live in Pinnacle Housing? Now here is the most important question: do you know about the over 100 events hosted by Pinnacle for the military families throughout the year?

I am guessing your answer is NO. If it is, I am also going to guess why. When you signed your lease with the Pinnacle leasing office, most everything is in the active duty person's name. As the spouse, you rarely initialed or signed anything. HOWEVER, there was a paper called One-Call. It was probably described to you as the phone number and email Pinnacle will use in case there is an emergency. So you probably did what we did, and said, "okay, put the active duty person's information." (I am 5'2" on a good day. I can do little to stop a fire or stave off an emergency situation.)

Here is the BUT, and it is a BIG BUT!! The One-Call is also used to send out weekly information via email about all the upcoming events hosted and paid for by Pinnacle for military families. The schedule of free exercise classes is also sent out for the month so you can take advantage of them. As the holiday season approaches, two big, must go-to events are going to take place: the Halloween Spooktacular and the Winter Wonderland.

So, if you want to add your information to the One-Call, because frankly, like me, you are in charge of scheduling your family's free time, call or stop by the leasing office and have your information added. You will feel much more informed!

Focus Group TONIGHT!

I apologize for the last minute reminder. Tonight, Tuesday, September 14th from 1800-1900 at the Fitch Community Center, Pinnacle will be holding a focus group on the kinds of events you want for the health and wellness program. Can't make the free exercise classes because they are too early or too late? Want more options for kids? Are there other regular events you would like to build a healthy military community? Bring your ideas to the Fitch Community Center, located at 1225 Tunisia Road and let our property managers and installation staff know what you think. It does matter! See you there.

Awesome Classic Car Show

If you didn't notice the classic cars parked on Alvarado Street today, this weekend is the Cherry's Jubilee festival. Tomorrow and Sunday at the Laguna Seca Raceway, classic cars will be parked to view and enjoy. There is food concessions, a car sale, manufacturer's midway, and other fun events. Tickets are per person and don't mention a military discount as far as I can tell. For more information on how to get there, visit http://www.cherrysjubilee.org. Saturday evening you can see cars parked again in Cannery Row and the El Torito parking lot. The Saturday showing is free to spectators and will begin at 1700. A full listing of events is available on the event website. Stay tuned for pictures as I'm planning on going to the raceway tomorrow.

September Calendars

I hope you all are enjoying your long weekend. September is in full force, and the Pinnacle calendar of classes and events is now uploaded onto the blog calendar.

The military community can take advantages of events going on at both the Presidio of Monterey (POM) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). For events on NPS, the Peacock Press is a quarterly publication with three-month schedules. You can find a pdf of the latest issue at by clicking here. For events on POM, the Outdoor Recreation/MWR puts out a monthly newsletter called the MWR Blast, which can be accessed by clicking here. Many of the classes are located on Fort Ord at the Army Community Services Center at the corner of Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. and Gigling Rd. There are lots of services and free events made available to the military community in the Monterey area so take advantage and get involved!

Marine Spouses Meet and Greet

There is another Marine Spouses Meet and Greet this Thursday, September 9th beginning at 1000. It will be held at the OMC Activity Center located on Fort Ord. It is the pumpkin colored house on the corner of Monterey Rd. and Noumea Rd. Refreshments will be available and children are welcome to attend. We will have information available for upcoming September events at POM, OMC, La Mesa and NPS. Join us for some friendly conversation and sense of community. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or post a comment on the group Facebook page. The group name is Marine Wives of Monterey (though husbands are welcome as well!). We hope to see you there!

Town Hall Meeting- TONIGHT

There is a Town Hall Meeting at the Fitch Community Center located on Fort Ord in Fitch Park. The meeting will be from 1830-1930 and is a chance to meet the community command, representatives from Pinnacle and the Parks at Monterey Bay. This is a great opportunity to voice any concerns, suggestions, or comments about our community. The Community Center is at 1225 Tunisia Road, Seaside, CA.

Frozen Yogurt Social TOMORROW 8.12

From 1500-1600 at the La Mesa Billiard Room located at 1200 Fechteler Drive, Pinnacle and Mindful Motion are hosting a Frozen Yogurt Social. Past socials have included fresh fruit and healthy alternatives to top your delicious and refreshing frozen yogurt. Bring the kids or take some time to yourself and have a treat. Be an example and show your family that healthy can still taste good! To get to La Mesa, take Highway 1 to the Monterey exit. Make your first left at the light (where MPC is located). Make your fourth right onto Farragut (entrance to La Mesa). Make a left at the four-way stop sign and another left to reach the Community Center.

Photo from southwestblend.com