New Beginnings Social Events

Spend Valentine’s Day enjoying a relaxed city walk, heart-themed public art, great photo ops, and a waterfront picnic — all in warm, friendly company 💗

We’ll gather in Union Square and stroll together at an easy pace down Market Street, then along the Embarcadero, discovering heart sculptures and public art along the way. We’ll wrap up with a picnic lunch by the water, with time to relax, connect, and enjoy the views.
This is a social, unhurried walk — not a tour and not a power walk. Come for the hearts, stay for the people!

***

🗓 Event Details
Date: Saturday, February 14
Time: 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
Pace: Relaxed, with frequent stops
Distance: About 2–2.5 miles total (mostly flat)

📍 Getting There & Meet-Up

• Meet: Union Square Plaza (at the entrance across from Macy’s)
• Parking: Park in the Union Square area (garages and street parking nearby)
• Public transit: BART to Powell Street Station, then a short walk to Union Square

🚶‍♀️ What to Expect

• A guided group walk through downtown and the waterfront
• Heart sculptures and public art discovered along the way
• Plenty of time for photos, conversation, and lingering
• A relaxed picnic lunch near the Embarcadero around 12:30 pm

After lunch, everyone is welcome to:

• Continue exploring the waterfront on their own
• Head back toward Union Square at their leisure via the historic
  F - Line streetcar.

📱 Staying Connected
Gabriela and Amy are your hosts. Look for our Green Sparkly Streamers.
We’ll share host phone numbers on the day of the event so participants can stay in touch by text as the group moves from heart to heart.

🎒 What to Bring

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Drinking Water
• A picnic lunch and/or snacks (you can purchase from vendors if you prefer)
• Layers & sunscreen/hat (because… it’s San Francisco 😉)

✨ Whether you come solo or with a friend, this is a lovely way to spend Valentine’s Day — easy, social, and full of heart.

Please RSVP so we know to expect you! 💕

New Music: Finding Your Rhythm Again — A 4-Part Series
Practical Tools for Feeling Like Yourself Again After Relationship Loss

After a breakup or divorce, it’s normal to feel mentally scattered, emotionally raw, and disconnected from your usual confidence and sense of self. You may find yourself replaying old conversations, worrying about what others think, or doubting your choices. This four-part series offers practical, grounded tools to help you regain focus, rebuild trust in yourself, and begin moving forward in a way that feels authentic and steady.

The series is based on The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, using its ideas as a framework to understand how we create unnecessary suffering — and how we can reduce it — especially during times of loss and transition. No prior reading is required, and each session will include short teaching, practical exercises, reflection prompts, and optional discussion in a supportive space.

This series is about helping you:

• Reclaim your attention and mental energy
• Let go of unhelpful self-blame and shame
• Understand recurring patterns in relationships
• Move forward with steadiness, self-respect, and emotional clarity

You are welcome to attend one session or all four, though the series is designed to build week by week.

Weekly Schedule

• Week 1 (Feb 4) – Freeing Up Headspace
  NO MEETING (Feb 11)
• Week 2 (Feb 18) – Releasing Self-Blame and Shame
• Week 3 (Feb 25) – Untangling Assumptions and Emotional Triggers
• Week 4 (Mar 4) – Reclaiming Integrity, Choice, and Forward Motion

***

✨ All are welcome — regardless of relationship status, timeline, or background. Come for the insights, stay for the connection. ❤️

Our Meeting Agenda:
• Introductions
• Video(s) or Talk (30-45 minutes)
• Group Discussion (15 minutes)
• Bio Break
• Confidential Sharing* (45 minutes)

*We ask attendees to have their cameras on for confidential sharing time.

💌 A Little Support Goes a Long Way
If you’re finding value in these gatherings, we invite you to consider a $20 monthly contribution to help support:

• Our paid Zoom account
• Our Meetup Subscription
• Weekly preparation, curation, and handouts
• Ongoing care of this growing community

Venmo: @Amy-Papazian (last 4 digits: 8444)
10% of each donation supports New Beginnings — our volunteer-led community creating friendship, fun, and fresh experiences.

🤗 Thank you in advance – whether you give now, later, or simply keep showing up, you help make this group special. 💕

🟦 New Beginnings Monthly Night Out
🟨 The Great IKEA Challenge Scavenger Hunt!
Ever wondered what would happen if grown adults turned IKEA into a team adventure? Bring your charged phone and your playful spirit. We’re going scavenger hunting — indoors!

Thursday, Feb 19 | 6:00–8:30 pm
IKEA East Palo Alto - 1700 E Bayshore Rd, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
📍 Meet inside the Swedish Restaurant on the 2nd floor.

Ready for a little bold, playful, midweek fun?

We’re turning IKEA into our indoor playground for a fast-paced, team-based scavenger hunt designed for laughter, connection, and light-hearted bravery.

This is not about buying anything.

It’s about teamwork, creativity, interacting kindly with the world around us, making new friends, and having lots of fun.

—————————-

🕕 Schedule
6:00 pm – Meet in the IKEA Swedish Restaurant
(Feel free to arrive early if you'd like to grab dinner first.)
6:00–6:30 pm – Game overview, team assignments, challenge list distributed
6:30–8:00 pm – Scavenger Hunt throughout the store
8:00–8:30 pm – Regroup in the Restaurant for sharing, laughter, and prizes

—————————-

🧩 What to Expect
You’ll be placed on a team of 4–5 people.
Together you’ll complete a series of creative challenges that may include:
• Finding unusual or oddly named products
• Creating short video “commercials”
• Brave-but-kind interactions with fellow shoppers
• Light-hearted posed photos in showroom spaces
• Team creativity and quick thinking

Everything is:
✔️ Indoors
✔️ Legal
✔️ Respectful to staff and shoppers
✔️ Zero purchase required

📱 What You Need
• A fully charged smartphone (required for photo, video, and audio proof)
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Water bottle (optional but recommended)
• A playful spirit

👥 Group Size
Limited to 25 participants
Teams of 5
This event will fill fast. Please RSVP responsibly and un-RSVP if your plans change (please confirm your guest can attend also), so hosts can assign attendees to teams the day before the event. And, it's important to arrive no later than 6:30 to join your team and get ready for action!

😄 Whether you come solo or with friends, you’ll leave having met new people and shared some genuinely ridiculous, joyful moments.

Let’s make Monthly Night Out unexpectedly fun! 🤣

🅿️ Parking
There is a lot of parking! Look for the yellow ENTRANCE sign and park as close as you can for ease at the end of the night.